Pat Finn, TV actor from “Seinfeld”, “Friends” and “The Middle”, dies
The popular TV actor and comedian had been battling bladder cancer since 2022.
TV actor and comedian Pat Finn has died at the age of 60. Pat Finn, known for his recurring role on “The Middle,” passed away on Monday, Dec. 22, at his home in Los Angeles, surrounded by friends and family, after a three-year battle with cancer.
His manager, Andrea Pett-Joseph, confirmed the news to Deadline, calling Finn “the kindest, most fun person in any room.”
Finn, whose long list of credits includes “Friends,” “Seinfeld,” “The King of Queens,” “That ’70s Show,” “3rd Rock from the Sun,” and “Curve Your Enthusiasm,” was first diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2022. In recent months, after his cancer spread, his friends set up a GoFundMe account to help cover the family’s medical expenses. The page has raised $120,000.
Comedian Jeff Dye was one of the first to pay tribute to Finn after news of his death broke.
“I don’t want to be the guy who posts pictures with dead celebrities. But this guy wasn’t just a celebrity to me. He was a friend,” Dye wrote to X. “One of the best guys I know with a perfect sense of humor. I love you Pat Finn. We’ll meet again someday.”
Comedy writer Brian Stack also paid tribute to his friend in “X.” “We are heartbroken over the passing of our dear friend Pat Finn. He was kind, but very funny. This video of him making his baby daughter Cassidy pretend to drive a bus and do karate kicks in his Chicago apartment in ’96 is priceless. Rest in peace Finner. We love you.”
Finn is survived by his wife, Donna, and their children, Cassidy, Caitlin, and Ryan.
Originally from Evanston, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, Finn met cartoonist Chris Farley while attending Marquette University, and after graduating in 1987, they both joined the legendary improv group Second City. By the mid-1990s, he had branched out into television with recurring appearances on “The George Wendt Show” and “Murphy Brown.” He entered the “Seinfeld” canon in 1998 by playing Joe Mayo in the “Reverse Peephole” episode of the classic sitcom. Finn played Dr. Roger in two episodes of “Friends.”
In addition to “The Middle,” where she appeared in 23 episodes from 2011 to 2018, Finn also appeared on “Yes Dear,” “The Bernie Mac Show,” “Wizards of Waverly Place,” “2 Broke Girls” and “The Goldbergs.” Feature film credits included “Hey, Where’s My Car?” “It’s Complicated” with Ashton Kutcher and “I Love You, Beth Cooper” with Meryl Streep and Steve Martin.
Finn expressed gratitude for his life and career in a 2022 interview with Phoenix magazine, saying, “If you told me that if I was in college or high school, I would be living in Los Angeles and driving to the beach and surfing with my son, you would think I was crazy. I don’t know how I ended up in that situation. I feel very lucky and it’s a good fit. It feels right.”
