Saturday Night Live Legends Pay Tribute to Music Master Hal Willner After Death Due to Coronavirus

Saturday Night Live got some legends to help pay tribute to Music Master Hal Willner after his [...]

Saturday Night Live got some legends to help pay tribute to Music Master Hal Willner after his death from coronavirus. The entire show was staged from home this week, so the current cast and the alumni video called in. The tone during the last segment of the night was somber as so many memorable performers like Tina Fey, Adam Sandler, Fred Armisen, and John Mulaney shared their thoughts. In the tribute, that you can view below, Willner said, "The live thing is what's really exciting to me — it's an amazing gig. When it's all working, there's nothing like it. I kinda get off on the danger, because it can really f— up, or 'This is gonna be so magical."

"One of the coolest and most passionate and good-natured people," McKinnon began. "Some of the show's sketches are more cinematic in quality and need to be scored more like a movie in order for them to make sense and for the jokes to land. The music becomes such an integral part of the sketch that you kind of don't notice it, but without it, it wouldn't make any sense. The guy who scores it only has a few hours — and that guy's name is Hal Willner, and we lost him this week."

Armies offered that Willner used to come up to his dressing room and share music. Mulaney joked that he was amazed that someone who was friends with Miles Davis actually had the time to be his friend as well. Emotional moments were all around, especially with former cast members that have moved on with their careers. Adam Sandler in particular seemed very moved because of the type of man that Willner was. It's rare to encounter someone with basically 100 percent approval rating, but on Saturday, the audience was treated to a look at a man that wasn't far off.

Lou Reed's 1972 hit "Perfect Day" played in the background as a bunch of the Saturday Night Live community sang it in tribute to their friend. Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph, Amy Poehler, Molly Shannon and Ana Gasteyer all joined in. Now, those type of group sing-alongs have been a bit of a lightning rod during quarantine, but this was absolutely pure. The man really did love music and probably enjoyed their stylings. Nothing was normal about Saturday Night Live from Home, but it also yielded a moment like this where the audience gets a glimpse into the life of someone that helped make the entertainment they all enjoy go.

Did you enjoy Saturday Night Live From Home? Let us know in the comments!

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