The voice behind the iconic "It's Saturday Night Live" passed away on Monday. Don Pardo was 96 years old and he has been in all but one of the 39 seasons of the show.

His death has been confirmed by his daughter, Donna Pardo, and he died in his home in Tucson. Donna remembers that her father recorded for so many weeks to perfect his introduction for the show. He was first hired by the producer of the show, Lorne Michaels.

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Pardo was first heard over the radio but when he was hired for SNL, he never left the network. The first show was back in October 1975 and he continued introducing the cast expect on the 7^th season. Aside from SNL, he also voiced as the announcer for "The Price is Right" and "Jeopardy".

Michaels said that every year, the new cast of the show gets very excited to hear their name announced by Pardo. Maya Rudolph, a cast in SNL, said during the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame back in 2010 that the moment her name was announced by Pardo, it was the height of her career.

In an oral history recorded before, Pardo was one of those who were interviewed. He recalled how he came to the television world and how he loved being a radio announcer. In another interview with the Associated Press back in 1985, Pardo talked about his voice and described it as his "Achilles' heel". His voice is both his strength and his weakness.

Michaels talked about Pardo saying that he was perfect for the wackiness of the show. Pardo announced the cast, the musical guests, the guest host at the beginning and the ever-famous "Weekend Update". Pardo was also seen in some of the shows' skits.

Pardo resigned back in 1994 but continued with SNL as he recorded his intros and outros at his home in Tucson. His wife died in 1995 but he continued flying week after week from Arizona to New York to hand in his recordings.

Michaels spoke about Pardo's death and said in a statement that they would be paying a tribute to the announcer next season. He noted that it was a happy accident that their lives intertwined. Michaels said that the montages they used to open the show did not come alive until Pardo's voice came booming.

Pardo was born on the 22^nd of February year 1918 in Westfield Massachusetts. His father was Dominich and her mother was Viola. They were both immigrants from Poland. Pardo has two daughters named Paula and Donna and two sons named David and Michael. He also had five grandchildren as well as three great-grandchildren.

TagsDon Pardo, Saturday Night Live, Dead, 96, announcer