Comedian Louie Anderson dies after battle with cancer; had been scheduled to play in Lakeland

Comedian Louie Anderson has died after battling cancer. The Emmy-winning actor was 68.

Anderson was scheduled to perform at the RP Funding Center on Friday at 7:30 p.m. According to assistant director Scott Sloman, Anderson’s appearance was canceled more than a month ago.

More: Louie Anderson, Emmy-winning 'Baskets' comedian, dies at 68 after cancer diagnosis

“We’re very sorry to learn of this. The cancellation occurred prior to us believing he was diagnosed with cancer. The cancellation was not part of this illness. Again, we’re very sorry to have heard this and we had hoped to one day have Louie back. Our prayers and best wishes go to his family,” Sloman said over the phone.

According to the center's website, patrons were automatically given a refund if tickets were purchased with a credit card from the box office, otherwise they can obtain a refund at the original point of purchase.

According to USA Today, Anderson’s longtime publicist Glenn Schwarz said the comedian died at a hospital in Las Vegas. Anderson had checked into the hospital Monday for treatment of a type of non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

Fellow comedian Gilbert Gottfried expressed his condolences on Twitter sharing a picture of himself, Anderson and the late Bob Saget. “Both good friends that will be missed,” he wrote.

Anderson is originally from St. Paul, Minnesota. In 2016, he won an Emmy for best supporting actor in a comedy series for his role in “Baskets.” He was on the big screen in Coming to America with Eddie Murphy and appeared in the 2021 sequel.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Comedian Louie Anderson dies. Had been scheduled to play in Lakeland