Photo: BEImages/Matt Baron.What could be more evocative of staying up late as a kid (with or without parental permission) than the phrase, "live from New York...it's Saturday night!"
No less iconic is the voice that spoke during the show's titles — a voice that can easily stir up that same feeling of illicit comedy evenings. Sadly, the man behind that voice, Don Pardo, passed away Monday evening at age 96, The Hollywood Reporter confirms.
It wasn't just SNL that made Pardo's warm, booming voice legendary: He was a long-time staple at NBC and was even one of the first reporters to announce the death of President Kennedy, reading the news over the radio back in 1963 to a stunned audience. He had already worked at the network for decades when he took the job at SNL in 1975. Pardo was also the first announcer to be inducted into the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame.
The New York Times has a lovely, thorough obituary here, if you'd like to learn more about this legendary figure. SNL will not be the same without him.