‘Saturday Night Live’ comedy writer Anne Beatts dead at 74
Anne Beatts wrote for the late-night sketch show for 5 seasons
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Legendary "Saturday Night Live" comedy writer Anne Betts has died at the age of 74.
According to the Associated Press, Beatts died on Wednesday at her West Hollywood home, which was confirmed by the writer’s longtime film producer friend Rona Edwards.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Former "Saturday Night Live" writer Anne Beatts passed away at the age of 74 on Wednesday, April 7, 2021, according to her close friend Rona Edwards. (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
Beatts got her start as a TV comedy writer at "SNL" in 1975. She worked on the evening sketch series alongside writers Rosie Shuster, Alan Zweibel and Marilyn Suzanne Miller.
Famous cast members such as Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, Gilda Radner and Bill Murray delivered iconic lines penned by Beatts and her team, including Lisa Loopner’s catchphrase: "That's so funny I forgot to laugh."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Beatts went on to work on the late-night series for five seasons.
By 1982, Beatts’ young adult sitcom "Square Pegs" debuted with actresses Sarah Jessica Parker and Amy Linker starring as a Patty Greene and Lauren Hutchinson, respectively. The show lasted for one season and centered on the two awkward teens in their freshman year at Weemawee High School.
"Square Pegs" was praised by critics at the time and maintains a rating of 7.3 out 10 stars on IMDb.
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Parker, 56, expressed her grief in a tweet Thursday: "Struggling to find adequate and appropriate descriptive words to describe her singular self. I need time. Cause I’m coming up short. Gosh, she was really something. RIP Anne. Thank you. For memories very few 17/18 yr olds get to make."
Other notable writing and producing credits of Beatts include "Murphy Brown," "The Bellers of Bleeker Street," "A Different World" and "Leader of the Pack."
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Beatts grew up in Buffalo, New York, but she eventually settled down with her family in Somers, a town located in Westchester County.
She attended McGill University in Montreal and wrote comedy bits for National Lampoon magazine before she transitioned to the small screen.
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Beatts’ cause of death was not immediately revealed at the time of publication. However, she is survived by her daughter, Jaylene; her sister Barbara Resucha; and two nieces Jennifer and Kate Dreger.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.