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The world of comedy was tweeting expressions of sorrow Saturday night at the death of Ottawa comic Mike MacDonald.

No details were immediately available.

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Born in 1955, he grew up on military bases around the world, but his family settled in Ottawa after his Air Force father retired. MacDonald attended Brookfield High School.

After working at an assortment of jobs, MacDonald began to frequent comedy clubs at the age of 24, developing his stand-up skills.

He went on to comedy fame, giving live performances all over North America and was a frequent guest on TV shows.

The 62-year-old MacDonald had also written or starred in many movies and was an accomplished drummer.

In 2011, diagnosed with hepatitis C, MacDonald returned to Ottawa from Los Angeles, where he’d been based. He had a liver transplant in March, 2013.

In February of 2013, MacDonald was honoured with a Canadian Comic Legend Award from his peers at Cracking Up The Capital, a comedy festival that is raising awareness and money for mental health issues. He’d also been awarded with a special tribute at the Just For Laughs 30th anniversary in Montreal.