Joe Bodolai (May 11, 1948 – December 26, 2011) was an American film and television producer and writer.[2]

Joe Bodolai
Born(1948-05-11)May 11, 1948[1]
Youngstown, Ohio, United States
DiedDecember 26, 2011(2011-12-26) (aged 63)
Occupation(s)Film and television producer, writer
Known forCo-founder of The Comedy Network

Born and raised in the United States, Bodolai was opposed to the Vietnam War and moved to Canada in order to avoid being drafted.[3] He moved back to the United States in 1981 to write for twenty episodes of Saturday Night Live before returning to Canada.

He is best known for producing such television shows as It's Only Rock & Roll, Comics!, and The Kids in the Hall and helping to launch the careers of the young talent featured on those shows. He also co-wrote the first draft of the film Wayne's World with Mike Myers.

Bodolai was a founder of The Comedy Network, helping the new channel secure its licence from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission in 1996, and expected to be named the new channel's head by its owners. He was disappointed when he was not hired and decided to return permanently to the United States.[4]

Bodolai was found dead on December 26, 2011, in a Hollywood hotel room of an apparent suicide; he was 63.[5][6][7] No suicide note was found, though on December 23 a long post was added to his blog,[8] entitled "If this were your last day alive what would you do?"[9]

References

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  1. ^ "Joe Bodolai in Memoriam". Retrieved December 27, 2011.
  2. ^ "Passings". The Los Angeles Times. December 28, 2011. Archived from the original on July 1, 2012. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
  3. ^ "Comedy writer Joe Bodolai dies at 63". CBC News. December 27, 2011. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
  4. ^ Barber, John (December 27, 2011). "Joe Bodolai remembered as 'incredibly funny, wildly smart'". Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on January 8, 2012. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
  5. ^ "The Los Angeles Times". December 27, 2011. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
  6. ^ "The Hollywood Reporter". Hollywoodreporter.com. December 27, 2011. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
  7. ^ "The Wall Street Journal". Wsj.com. December 27, 2011. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
  8. ^ "CNN". CNN.com. December 27, 2011. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
  9. ^ "If this were your last day alive what would you do?" (blog). Say It Ain't So Joe!. Wordpress.com. December 23, 2011. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
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