SNL announcer Pardo ’42 dies at 96

Longtime Saturday Night Live announcer Don Pardo ’42 died in his sleep at his Arizona home on August 18 at the age of 96, according to the Hollywood Reporter and the New York Times.

Pardo worked as the SNL announcer for 38 seasons—every season of the long–running comedy show except for Season 7.

Pardo worked as a staff announcer for NBC for the bulk of his career, which included announcing for the game shows Jeopardy! and The Price Is Right. During his work for NBC Radio, he was one of the first broadcasters to announce the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963.

Pardo, a native of Westfield, Massachusetts, began his career at WJAR Radio in Providence.

He had a lifetime contract with NBC and retired in 2004, but continued to work on SNL until this year, according to the Times. He was inducted to the Television Hall of Fame in 2010.

Among Pardo’s survivors are his five children, Paula, Dona, Katherine, David, and Michael, five grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren, according to the Times. He was predeceased by his wife, Catherine.