Saturday Night Live pays tribute to Hal Willner

Tom Hanks hosts from home

by Anne-Katrin Titze

Saturday Night Live, hosted by Tom Hanks, paid tribute to Hal Willner
Saturday Night Live, hosted by Tom Hanks, paid tribute to Hal Willner Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze

Saturday Night Live, hosted by a recovered Tom Hanks from his home, paid tribute to the show’s longtime music coordinator Hal Willner, who died in New York on Tuesday, April 7, at the age of 64, from symptoms consistent with the coronavirus. Former cast members Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Molly Shannon, Ana Gasteyer, and Paula Pell sang Lou Reed’s Perfect Day in honour of their colleague and friend. Hal Willner started with the program back in 1981 and did sketch music adaptations for Daniel Craig and The Weekend, John Mulaney and David Byrne, RuPaul and Justin Bieber, Adam Driver and Halsey in 2020.

Adam Sandler, Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, and John Mulaney shared their memories of working with Hal Willner as the broadcast of the show came to an end in the early morning hour of April 12.

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