Funny lady Jan Hooks, a Decatur native and star of “Saturday Night Live” and “Designing Women,” has died at 57 after an undisclosed illness.
Hooks began her career as a member of the famed LA comedy troupe The Groundlings and then became a regular on Bill Tush’s comedy sketch show, “Tush,” in the late 70s. She joined “Saturday Night Live” as a regular in 1986 (along with Dany Carvey and Phil Hartman) and created some of the funniest skits of the era, including The Sweeney Sisters with co-star Nora Dunn and hilarious impersonations like Bette Davis, Tammy Faye Baker, Nancy Reagan, Kathie Lee Gifford and Hillary Clinton.
Hooks left “SNL” to join the cast of “Designing Women” for the final two seasons of the comedy set in Atlanta. She also appeared in series like “Primetime Glick,” “3rd Rock from the Sun,” and most recently “30 Rock.” She also had a memorable appearance as the Alamo tour guide in “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure”
You can watch some of Hooks’ best “SNL” skits at this link.
