Kathleen McGee, a beloved stand-up comedian and finalist in Canada’s Top Comic, passed away on Sunday at the age of 43. Her death comes just days after she revealed that she had entered hospice care following a prolonged battle with cancer that lasted for years.
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The Great Outdoors Comedy Festival shared the news of McGee’s passing in a tribute on X (formerly Twitter).
“We’re heartbroken to share that our friend Kathleen McGee passed away this weekend. She was such a bright light in our lives, always there with a smile and a joke when we needed it,” they wrote.
“Kathleen made a lasting impact on everyone she met, and her warmth and laughter will be deeply missed. Sending all our love and strength to her family and friends. Rest easy, Kathleen. You’ll always be in our hearts,” they concluded.
McGee began her stand-up career in Edmonton in 2005. Over the years, she piled up accolades. She won the annual Funniest Person With a Day Job competition in 2008. McGee also became a finalist in the SiriusXM competition Canada’s Top Comic in 2017 and earned a nomination for the Canadian Comedy Award in 2019.
She made appearances on Just for Laughs and CBC’s The Debaters, per CTV News. She also co-hosted The Dead Baby Bear Podcast.
Kathleen McGee Documented Her Cancer Journey on Social Media
McGee announced her colorectal cancer diagnosis in 2022. She shared on Instagram that she had a tumor “the size of a small apple” removed from her colon. She also said she was scheduled for three months of chemotherapy. However, after completing her final round of chemotherapy in April 2023, McGee was declared cancer-free.
Unfortunately, less than a year later, her cancer reemerged.
“Yesterday morning I found out that my cancer came back and it came back like a total a–hole,” she wrote on Instagram in June 2023. “It has now spread to my liver and abdomen and they can’t go in and cut this one out. It’s stage 4 which is not a good stage.”
In an update on October 29 regarding a GoFundMe page established to assist with her medical and living expenses, McGee and her husband, Adam, shared the news that she was transitioning into hospice care.
“Although the idea of hospice can be daunting, we are elated to have the additional support and care as we navigate towards the end of this trail, and the comfort deserved at the end of this tale,” they wrote at the time. “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.”