Al Franken Comedy Partner Tom Davis Dead at 59

One of Saturday Night Live's first writers, Tom Davis, has died of throat and neck cancer at age 59, reports TMZ. On SNL, he teamed with Al Franken—they actually filled one writer's slot and shared the $350 weekly salary—and had a hand in creating classic skits such as the Coneheads. But it's his teamwork with now-Senator Franken for which he's most remembered, notes AP.

"He helped shape Mr. Franken’s comedy, and vice versa, from the time they entertained students with rebellious, razor-edged humor at high school assemblies in Minnesota," writes Douglas Martin in the New York Times. The two had a falling out in 1990, apparently over Davis' drug use, but reconciled about 10 years later. (More Tom Davis stories.)