Happy Gilmore star Joe Flaherty has died at the age of 82.

The Freaks & Geeks star passed away on Monday (1 April).

His daughter, Gudrun, confirmed the news to Variety in a statement via the Comedic Artists Alliance: “After a brief illness, he left us yesterday, and since then, I’ve been struggling to come to terms with this immense loss.

“Dad was an extraordinary man, known for his boundless heart and an unwavering passion for movies from the ’40s and ’50s.

“His insights into the golden age of cinema didn’t just shape his professional life; they were also a source of endless fascination for me.

Paul Natkin/WireImage

“In these last few months, as he faced his health challenges, we had the precious opportunity to watch many of those classic movies together — moments I will forever hold dear.”

Flaherty played Harold Weir in the cult classic Freaks and Geeks, starring as the father of Linda Cardellini’s Lindsay and John Francis Daley’s Sam.

The show’s one season received critical acclaim and became a firm favourite with fans.

Flaherty starred alongside a host of stars before they become famous, with Seth Rogen, James Franco, Busy Phillips, Jason Segel, and Shia LaBeouf all starring in the show before they blew up.

The Happy Gilmore actor’s passing comes just a month after improv comedy group Second City, organized a fundraiser to support him while he was ill.

Paul Natkin/WireImage

“Our beloved SCTV cast member, Joe Flaherty, is very ill. Joe is aware of the gravity of his failing health and would like to spend whatever time he has left at home rather than in a facility,” his co-star Martin Short said.

“We are writing to our friends because we believe SCTV meant something to you, and that would not be the case if it were not for Joe Flaherty.

“He was a mentor, a director, and an inspiring improviser who gave us many of the tools we are still using in the careers he helped kickstart.

“And he made us all laugh! We believe that you would want to know about Joe’s condition and, perhaps, even want to contribute towards his home care.”

Tributes have since poured in for Flaherty, including from some of his former co-stars.

“Joe Flaherty played my dad in The Wrong Guy. I was so thrilled to be able to work with him,” Jennifer Tilly shared on X.

“His performance was pitch perfect. A great comedian. Gone too soon.”

Happy Gilmore 2 is now confirmed to be in the works

Happy Gilmore, one of Adam Sandler’s most notorious – and arguably best – movies is likely getting a sequel nearly 30 years after the original first hit theaters.

With Adam Sandler becoming one of the most well-known comedy-movie stars over the last 35 years, it’s hard to say that Happy Gilmore wasn’t a huge stepping stone on his path to fame and success.

That’s why many fans of Sandler’s will be happy to hear that Christopher McDonald – who played Shooter McGavin in the original film – has said that the comedy legend has written the first draft of Happy Gilmore 2 and that he got to see it with his own two eyes.

“I saw Adam about two weeks ago,” McDonald recalled in an interview on the Ken Carman Show with Anthony Lima.

“He says to me, ‘McDonald, you’re gonna love this’,” he continued. “[And] he shows me the first draft of Happy Gilmore 2.”

While the 69-year-old actor quickly noted that they should likely cut that comment out of the show because of fears the movie might not come to fruition, the highly-anticipated follow-up to one of Sandler’s most beloved films being in the works might be enough to dispel any fears of it not happening.

Universal Pictures

“So, it’s in the works,” McDonald added. “Fans demand it, dammit.”

The original 1996 movie centered around a goofy hockey player with serious anger issues taking up professional golf to save his beloved grandmother’s house, with McDonald playing the primary antagonist of the film.

Along with Billy Madison, which was released a year prior, Happy Gilmore was a movie that Sandler both starred in and wrote, and the two movies later went on to become the namesake for Sandler’s production company, Happy Madison Productions.

In recent years, Sandler has maintained a strong working relationship with Netflix, starring in and producing several films, series, and even stand-up specials with the streaming giant since 2016.

Universal

While it is unknown if Netflix is willing to purchase the rights to Happy Gilmore from Universal, Sandler is considered something of a high-priority partner for Netflix, meaning a sequel to the classic comedy could be more realistic than one might expect.

If Happy Gilmore 2 does make it past this point and eventually evolves into a full-fledged movie, one must question who from the original cast could return.

While both McDonald and Julie Bowen seem like they could potentially make their returns, given their friendships with Sandler, the movie will be sorely missing both the late Carl Weathers and Bob Barker, respectively.

Curb Your Enthusiasm star Richard Lewis has died aged 76

Stand-up comedian Richard Lewis has passed away at the age of 76.

In April 2023, the performer revealed he would be retiring after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

As well as being known for sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm, Lewis was also loved for his roles in Robin Hood: Men in Tights and Anything But Love.

His passing was confirmed to UNILAD by his publicist Jeff Abraham.

HBO

Abraham told UNILAD: “Comedian/actor Richard Lewis passed away peacefully at his home in Los Angeles last night after suffering a heart attack. He was 76 years old.

“In April of 2023, Richard revealed that he had been living with Parkinson’s disease.

“Richard can currently be seen co-starring in the final season of HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm.

“His wife, Joyce Lapinsky, thanks everyone for all the love, friendship and support and asks for privacy at this time.”

And it’s not taken long for fans to flock to social media to commemorate the star and pay respects to his family.

One X user said: “Richard Lewis and Larry’s friendship was always one of the best parts of Curb. RIP.”

“Richard Lewis forever. Rest in peace to a comedy icon,” another added.

A third commented: “R.I.P. Richard Lewis. One of the funniest guys around, a true comedy lifer. Seeing him go from hard-working Comedy Central fixture to beloved presence on Curb Your Enthusiasm was beautiful, and I’m glad he got to appreciate it.”

And a fourth resolved: “Richard Lewis was not just a comic but somebody left everything on the table. His vulnerability was simply charming. We lost a good one. An all timer from Curb.”