Christopher Crosby "Chris" Farley

 Christopher Crosby "Chris" Farley (February 15, 1964 – December 18, 1997)

Farley was known for his loud, energetic comedic style, and was a member of Chicago's Second City Theater and cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live between 1990 and 1995. Farley and Chris Rock were introduced as two of the show's new cast members in early 1990. On SNL, Farley frequently collaborated with his fellow cast members Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Rob Schneider, and David Spade, among others. This group came to be known as the "Bad Boys of SNL". Popular characters performed by Farley included himself on The Chris Farley Show, a talk show in which Farley quite often "interviewed" the guest, regularly got very nervous; Matt Foley, an over-the-top motivational speaker who constantly reminded other characters that he "lived in a van, down by the river"; Todd O'Connor of Bill Swerski's Superfans, a group of stereotypical Chicagoans who constantly shouted "da Bears!"; and a Chippendale's dancer, in a famous sketch that paired him with guest host Patrick Swayze, among other sketches. Off-screen, Farley was well known for his pranks in the offices of Saturday Night Live. This would refer to Sandler and Farley making late-night prank phone calls from the SNL offices in Rockefeller Center, with Sandler speaking in an old woman's voice and Farley farting into the phone and mooning cars from a limousine. Sandler told Conan O'Brien on The Tonight Show that NBC fired him and Farley from the show in 1995. Farley began focusing on his film career. His first two major films co-starred his fellow SNL colleague and close friend David Spade. Together, the duo made the films Tommy Boy and Black Sheep.

Farley was originally planned to voice Shrek in the 2001 animated film of the same name, recording about 80-90% of the character's dialogue, but died just before recording was finished, and was replaced by Mike Myers. In the final years of his life, Farley had sought treatment for obesity and drug abuse on 17 occasions. On December 18, 1997, he was found dead by his younger brother, John, in his apartment in the John Hancock Center in Chicago. An autopsy later revealed that Farley had died of a cocaine and morphine overdose early that morning. Advanced atherosclerosis was cited as a "significant contributing factor". Farley's death is often compared to that of his SNL idol John Belushi, who also died at age 33 of an accidental drug overdose consisting of cocaine and heroin. Farley's remains were entombed at Resurrection Catholic Cemetery in Madison, WI.