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Don Pardo, the voice of 'Saturday Night Live,' has died at 96

Don Pardo, the voice of 'Saturday Night Live,' has died at 96

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Don Pardo, the booming voice that has served as announcer for Saturday Night Live since the very beginning, has died. He was 96 years old. According to an NBC spokesperson (via THR), he died Monday evening in his sleep.

Pardo has been a part of SNL for more years that even creator Lorne Michaels, having served as the announcer for all but the 1981–1982 season. Outside of that, he's only missed a few episodes due to illness (on at least one occasion, former SNL cast member Darrell Hammond filled in for him). Prior to SNL, Pardo was the original voice for The Price is Right and a pre-Alex Trebek Jeopardy.