Comedian, singer, and versatile actress Jan Hooks, one of "Saturday Night Live" cast members from the late 80's to early 90's, passed away on Thursday in New York due to a "serious illness." She was 57 years old. This was confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter by her representative Lisa Lieberman. No additional details were given as to the cause of her death.
Hooks joined Saturday night Live in 1986 until 1991, alongside Phil Hartman, Dana Carvey and Victoria Jackson. During her time, SNL's majority of cast members were male. When she was interviewed by Orlando Sentinel in 1994, she quipped, " It's a waste of energy to complain you're not getting this or that because you're a woman. On SNL, I found that the more you complained, the more you pigeon-holed yourself." One of her most notable sketches at SNL was playing half of the Sweeny sisters, Candy. It is said that her addition to the entire cast in 1986 helped the show back in the national spotlight.
Her role as Tina the Alamo tour guide in the 1985 blockbuster Hit "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure" landed her the big break. She also joined NBC's "3rd Rock From The Sun" playing the recurring role of Vicki Dubcek where she was nominated at the Emmy's for "outstanding guest actress in a comedy series" category. Moreover, she was the voice behind Manjula, Apu's wife of Fox's popular animated series " The Simpsons." Her most most recent project was NBC's "30 Rock" where she played Jenna's trashy and unreliable mom, Verna Maroney.
" We all truly loved her. i can't believe she's gone, another comedic genius," tweeted Kristen Johnston, one of Hooks' co-stars on 3rd Rock From The Sun. Director Paul Fieg also wrote, "Incredibly sad about Jan Hooks. She was truly one of my favorite SNL cast members. So funny. A sad day for comedy."
