Nora Dunn's Touching Tribute To Her Sweeney Sister Jan Hooks

By Emily Cutler | Miscellaneous | October 13, 2014 |

By Emily Cutler | Miscellaneous | October 13, 2014 |

Oh man, I was a little worried about this one. Nora Dunn took to her Facebook page late Friday to say goodbye to her SNL co-star and Sweeney Sister Jan Hooks. The whole piece is amazing, and you really should read the whole thing. But if you need just the highlights:

It was Jan Hooks who came up with the idea for The Sweeney Sisters. On the spot while we were shooting a commercial parody for Saturday Night Live. It came like a minor explosion, as most of her ideas did, and she delivered the concept and our names in a matter of seconds. Then she started belting out medleys of classic swing songs. There was no way I could keep up with her. She was a seasoned improvisor who never credited herself as a writer and at the heart of her matter she was a genuine actress.

I’m not ready to accept that Jan died, at 57. That’s not fair. But neither is life. It’s sorrowful, and there isn’t one comedian worth her weight in salt if she doesn’t understand that.

She and I spent an evening with George Harrison in Lorne’s office one night, drinking wine and playing records and listening to one of the Beatles, who was engaging and prolific, I remember her saying afterwards, “Did that really happen?” And I hear myself saying that now, as I read this piece. Did it?

Yep, that’s what I was afraid of. Really touching, really funny, and full of the bittersweet awe we feel about a life lived incredibly well but all too short.