Canadian Actor Dies At 84

Canadians are mourning the loss of one of our finest entertainers, Leslie Nielsen, who is remembered for his parody films, most notably Airplane!, Naked Gun, and Men With Brooms.

Within a span of over 100 film roles in his life, Nielsen specialized in comedy but began his career in radio.

The actor was born in Saskatchewan and made his way to Hollywood in the mid-50s and in later years became a naturalized U.S. citizen, though he made frequent visits to Canada to see family. Even in his final years, Nielsen continued to roll in the film credits, starring in funny flicks such as Dracula: Dead And Loving It, Mr. Magoo, Wrongfully Accused, and Spy Hard.

Since the news of his death, stars like Russell Brand, Ryan Seacrest, and Canadian film co-star Paul Gross have paid respect to the comic via Twitter and the media. His famous line from Naked Gun is popping up all over the social networks today:

"Surely you can't be serious."

"I'm serious, and don't call me Shirley"

Nielsen died yesterday in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, after being hospitalized for pneumonia. Family and friends surrounded him and issued a statement to the media saying that he died peacefully in his sleep around 5:30 PM. He is survived are his two daughters and wife Barbara.

Shirley will be missed.

Courtney Gilmour
		About the author:
		Courtney is a published writer, stand-up comic, and shameless Internet enthusiast. She holds a double bachelors degree in English Literature and Communication Media Studies, specializing in semiotic theory, however she doesn't get Shakespeare and has never won a game of Scrabble. Currently she lives in Toronto and works as a writer for WOMAN.CA.
	Read More >>