To close out its first, albeit unorthodox episode since the coronavirus pandemic put everyone in lockdown mode, Saturday Night Live enlisted cast members past and present for a moving tribute to Hal Willner, an acclaimed music producer who had been with the show since 1980.
Willner, who in his work for SNL selected the music used in sketches, died on April 7 at age 64, after being diagnosed with symptoms consistent with those caused by COVID-19.
SNL’s tribute, embedded above, was fittingly musical, as numerous cast members (including Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph and Rachel Dratch) sang, from their quarantine homes, Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day,” while some (including Kate McKinnon, Bill Hader, Pete Davidson and Fred Armisen) shared personal remembrances.
Outside of SNL, Willner was highly regarded as a producer of tribute projects that brought together eclectic creative personalities, including 1981’s Amarcord Nino Rota and 1995’s September Songs.
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