Ex-Saturday Night Live Scribe Joe Bodolai Dead in Apparent Suicide

Veteran comedy writer who once worked with Mike Myers dies apparently by his own hand

By Josh Grossberg Dec 27, 2011 5:19 PMTags
Joe Bodolai, TwitterTwitter

It's a holiday tragedy.

Joe Bodolai, a veteran comedy writer-producer who penned skits for Saturday Night Live and Kids in the Hall and cowrote the first draft of 1992's hit movie Wayne's World, has been found dead in an apparent suicide. He was 63.

Per TMZ, Bodolai's body was discovered in a Los Angeles hotel by a cleaning crew on Monday. And according to law enforcement insiders, a bottle of antifreeze and Gatorade was also found in the room, raising suspicions that the scribe died after drinking the toxic chemical.

An LAPD spokesman could not confirm the suicide and a message left with the L.A. County Coroner's Office has not been returned.

But Bodolai's death comes four days after he posted a worrisome message on his Facebook page.

"I'm alone this year and am volunteering serving Christmas dinner to the homeless. Perhaps I will be one, but I love all of you and if I make it to next year let's make it a morally, spiritually, better and funnier year," he wrote.

On Dec. 23, Joe then posted an apparent goodbye note on his blog titled "If This Was Your Last Day Alive What Would You Do?" reflecting back in bullet points on his life achievements and personal failures.

Among Bodolai's proudest accomplishments he lists his two sons; the 20 years he spent with ex-wife Bianca; whom he said "made my life worth living":; protesting the Vietnam War and being a "draft resister"; campaigning for Robert Kennedy; serving as a publicity director for the Toronto Blue Jays; working in development for Warner Bros. in New York; going to work for Lorne Michael as a staff writer at SNL during the 1981-1982 season; and producing Kids in the Hall for a season on HBO.

He also had a hand in Wayne's World, cowriting the first draft with Mike Myers.

"I kinda knew our draft was really a second movie, not an expository first reveal, but my heart wanted him to find his voice. He sure did," said Bodolai.

Bodolai also gave much of his time to good causes including raising money and working for such organizations as OxFam and Mercy Corps, fighting for marriage equality, and volunteering to help the homeless.

As far as his regrets (which is a shorter list than the things he's proud of), the funnyman  revealed that one of the toughest was his "inability to conquer my alcoholism" as well as the "things I did because of it" and the pain he caused his family and friends.

He concluded the note with some well wishes: "May you all have the happy lives you deserve. Thank you all for being in my life."

No word yet on funeral plans.