Roger Abbott, RIP

Zoomer | March 28th, 2011

Canadian actor and comedian Roger Abbott died at age 64 this past weekend, after a 14-year battle with leukemia.

Best known for his role on The Royal Canadian Air Farce, Abbot was diagnosed with leukemia in 1997. He kept his diagnosis a secret because he didn’t want any special treatment.

Abbott was born in Birkenhead, England and later lived in Montreal and Toronto.

He played many characters on Air Farce, including CBC’s Peter Mansbridge, former U.S. president George W. Bush and former Canadian prime minister Jean Chrétien.

“His impact on Canadian television, radio and comedy in general is so huge,” comedian Shaun Majumder said. “It’s so massive and so rooted in Canadian culture that his life will be celebrated for a very, very long time.”