The well-known comedian and a former PokerStars brand ambassador, Louie Anderson, who is best known for his roles in the comedy series Baskets and the film Coming to America, passed away at the age of 68 on Friday morning after battling blood cancer. Anderson, who had been receiving treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, died at a Las Vegas hospital, his publicist informed.
“Iconic comedian Louie Anderson passed away peacefully on Friday morning January 21 in Las Vegas at age 68. He is survived by his two sisters, Lisa and Shanna Anderson,” said his representative.
Numerous tributes from various figures in the entertainment industry were made to Anderson.
Anderson had a prolific comedy career and won three Emmy Awards. He performed a stand-up comedy act called “Louie: Larger Than Life” in Las Vegas for decades and made his national TV debut in 1984 with The Tonight Show. He is widely known for his role as Christine Baskets in the FX series Baskets, in which he co-starred with Zach Galifianakis and Martha Kelly. He also starred in Coming to America, The Wrong Guys, and appeared in series such as Scrubs and Tom Goes to the Mayor.
In the mid-2000s, Anderson represented PokerStars, the largest online poker site in the world. He even wore the PokerStars patch while playing in the 2006 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. He loved playing poker and even shared his love for the game in a gambling story on Opie Radio:
Anderson’s time with poker was short but he made a lasting impression. May his soul rest in peace!