Edmonton-born stand-up comedian Kathleen McGee died on Sunday after her battle with cancer. She was 43 years old.
McGee, who appeared on Just for Laughs, CBC’s The Debaters and was a finalist on SiriusXM Radio’s Canada’s Top Comic, was first diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2022, according to her Instagram account.
That year, she had part of her colon removed, went through chemotherapy and was declared cancer free.
According to a GoFundMe page, the comedian’s cancer came back less than a year later, spread throughout her body and forced her out of work.
She was scheduled to appear at Grindstone’s Comedy Festival this year, but took a step back to focus on her health.
A fundraiser event was held at the festival on June 7 with proceeds going toward McGee’s bucket list and to help pay her bills and rent. She was a co-founder of the Grindstone Comedy Festival.
McGee provided an update on the GoFundMe page stating that she was admitted into hospice care on Oct. 28., saying, “We never know how long we have, and still now we don’t, so we will continue sharing our love, laughter and stories until we are through.”