Matt Villines, ‘Saturday Night Live’ Director, Dies At 39

Saturday Night Live director Matt Villines died over the weekend after a long battle with cancer. He was 39.

SNL’s Matt Villines Dies

Villines was diagnosed with liver cancer in 2014. He passed away at his home in Los Angeles Saturday, reported Deadline.

Villines was remembered by Saturday Night Live co-head writer Bryan Tucker in a moving Facebook post.

“I wanted to let all my Facebook friends know about the great Matt Villines, who passed away yesterday at age 39 after a long battle with cancer — not necessarily to let you know that he’s tragically gone, but tell you what he left behind,” Tucker wrote.

“Matt, along with Osmany Rodriguez, directed some of SNL’s best short films over the past few years. Matt was not only an excellent director. He was a warm, kind guy who got an enormous amount done without ever raising his voice,” Tucker added. “The last time I saw him, he was back at SNL after getting treatment, a bit frail, but ready to dive in. He didn’t want to talk about his condition. He just wanted to enjoy creating great comedy by working with the people who made him laugh. He’s gone, but people will remember what he left behind for a long time.”

Villines joined Saturday Night Live in 2012 with his longtime collaborator Osmany Rodriguez, whom he had met at the Los Angeles Film School. The two were hired to direct SNL‘s digital shorts, taking over after the departure of the Lonely Island. Among their best known shorts were “Sad Mouse” and “(Do It In My) Twin Bed.”

Before joining SNL, Villines had worked with Rodriguez on Adult Swim’s Super Deluxe comedy video website. The two also had a long and productive stint with Funny or Die, where they directed a number of popular videos. “Bridges on Bridges with Beau Bridges” and “Charlie Sheen’s Winning Recipes,” was among some of their most notable work for Funny or Die.

Villines is survived by his wife Linda, parents and a sister.