The Middle‘s Pat Finn has died at age 60 following a cancer battle.
Finn died on Tuesday, December 24, at his home in Los Angeles while surrounded by his family, according to TMZ.
After news broke about Finn’s death, comedian Jeff Dye shared an emotional tribute, writing via X, “I don’t like to be the guy who post pics with celebrities that pass. But this guy wasn’t just a celebrity to me. He was a friend.”
He continued: “One of the best dudes I knew with a PERFECT sense of humor. I love you Pat Finn and I’ll see again in the after , we can sing together and shake our heads about all the meannes in the used to be.”
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Finn got his start in comedy alongside close friend Chris Farley. After playing on the same rugby team at Marquette University in 1987, the duo stayed close and eventually became roommates in Chicago while performing with the legendary Second City comedy troupe. (Farley died of a drug overdose in 1997 at the age of 33.)
“I used to go there and almost study it,” Finn recalled in a 2022 interview with Phoenix. “Why did that laugh work? Why did that song work? Why did they do this scene? I was like a baseball player rewatching a game. A career in comedy didn’t become a reality until I was picked up by The Second City and then the main stage.”
After writing and performing in two Second City resident shows, Finn was cast as Dan on CBS’ The George Wendt Show. The sitcom revolved around brothers George and Dan Coleman (George Wendt and Finn), who owned a car garage in Wisconsin. In addition to running the garage, they were also hosts of a call-in radio show about car repair.
“I was flown out for a big interview, and I ended up getting the job on The George Wendt Show. It lasted about a year but George, Bernadette and I are still friends and he’s the godfather to my youngest son,” Finn continued.
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Finn is also known for his role as Bill Norwood on The Middle, which he played from 2011 to 2018. He went on to appear on Seinfeld, That ’70s Show and Friends. On the big screen, Finn booked roles in Dude, Where’s My Car?, Love You, Beth Cooper and It’s Complicated.
“I always say, if you were to tell me as a college kid or high school kid I’d be living in LA, driving to the beach, surfing with my son, I’d think you were crazy. I don’t know how I fell into it,” he told Phoenix in 2022. “I feel so fortunate, and it fits. It feels right.”
The actor married wife Donna, with whom he shared three children, in 1990.
