The actor Joe Flaherty died at 82.
The actor was best known for his work in Freaks and Geeks and Happy Gilmore, and also for his contributions to Second City Television – also known as SCTV.
The news of his death was confirmed on social media by his former co-star, Joel Murray, who shared a heartfelt tribute.
Taking to Twitter, the actor – who co-starred with Flaherty in One Crazy Summer – wrote: ‘We’ve lost another of my idols. RIP Joe Flaherty 1941-2024.
Jennifer Tilly quoted Murray’s tweet, saying: ‘Joe Flaherty played my dad in “The Wrong Guy.” I was so thrilled to be able to work with him.
‘His performance was perfect. A great comedian. Gone too soon.’
The cause of Flaherty’s death has not yet been confirmed.
In February, it was revealed that his health had taken a turn, when SCTV members set up a fundraiser to help his loved ones with the costs.
Martin Short shared details of the fundraiser with fans at the time, describing the late star as a ‘mentor’.
‘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,’ the message, via 800 Gorilla Media, read.
‘Joe’s daughter, Gudrun, is currently Joe’s sole caregiver. Unfortunately, neither Gudrun nor Joe has the financial means to hire the 24-hour care he will require at home. We understand the cost of such care will be about 20k a month.
‘Our hope is to raise the funds needed to honor Joe’s wishes.’
‘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,’ the message continued, without going into detail about Flaherty’s health issues.
‘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.’
Flaherty, who was born in Pittsburgh, served in the US Air Force for four years before pursuing a career in comedy at Second City Theater in Chicago.
Through this, he performed on SCTV from 1976 to 1984, appearing alongside notable names such as Short, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, and John Candy.
He later worked on One Crazy Summer with Murray in 1986, and Happy Gilmore with Adam Sandler in 1996.
One of Flaherty’s most famous roles was in TV comedy Freaks and Geeks, which helped launch the careers of James Franco, Seth Rogen, and Jason Segel.
In the 1999 series, he played Harold Weir, the father of main characters Lindsay Weir (Linda Cardellini) and Sam Weir (John Francis Daley).
His other TV credits include Frasier, the King of Queens, Even Stevens, and That ‘70s Show.
Flaherty's children, Gudrun and Gabriel, are still alive.
