Norm Macdonald has died at the age of 61

Jeff Danis, the president of DPN Talent and one of the comedian's representatives, said in a statement to Variety: "Norm was an original!

He defined American humour with honesty and blunt force."

The late star - who was known for his distinctive deadpan style - wrote for the sitcom 'Roseanne' earlier in his career, while he also made guest appearances on programmes like 'The Drew Carey Show'. The stand-up comedian even starred in his own sitcom, 'The Norm Show', from 1999 to 2001.

Lori Jo Hoekstra, his long-time friend and his producing partner, was with the actor when he passed away.

Lori told Deadline: "He was most proud of his comedy. He never wanted the diagnosis to affect the way the audience or any of his loved ones saw him.

"Norm was a pure comic. He once wrote that ‘a joke should catch someone by surprise, it should never pander.’ He certainly never pandered. Norm will be missed terribly."

Elsewhere, Seth Rogen has taken to Twitter to pay a glowing tribute to the comedian.

Seth, 39, wrote on the micro-blogging platform: "Oh f***. I was a huge fan of Norm Macdonald and I essentially ripped off his delivery when I first started acting. I would stay up specifically to watch him on talk shows. He was the funniest guest of all time. We lost a comedy giant today. One of the the all time greats. RIP. (sic)"

Josh Gad also admitted to being "gutted" about the news.

He wrote on Twitter: "Oh come on! Damnit. Not Norm. Absolutely gutted.

One of the most underrated and hilarious SNL performers. RIP #NormMacdonald (sic)"