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Matt Villines, Saturday Night Live Director, Dead at 39
The "Back Home Ballers" director lost his battle with cancer
Matt Villines, who was one half of the directing duo Matt & Oz, has died of cancer at the age of 39.
Saturday Night Livestar Mike O'Brien shared the news in an Instagram post on Sunday, writing: "He was one of my favorite people. He taught me a ton about filmmaking and even more about being kind even when you're stressed or frustrated or sick."
O'Brien also promised to share more photos of Villines throughout the week, and asked others to pay tribute to the director in the same way.
Remember other celebrities we've lost this year
With his partner Oz Rodriguez, Villines directed many of SNL's more memorable pre-taped sketches since the duo joined the show in 2012, including "Darrell's House," "Back Home Ballers," "A Thanksgiving Miracle" and "Jay Z Story."
In 2014, SNL creator Lorne Michaels enlisted Villines and Rodriguez to direct the Taran Killam movie Brothers in Law, which was never released. That same year, Villines was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in his liver.
Watch one of Villines' most beloved sketches below.