Joe Flaherty, ‘SCTV’ and ‘Freaks and Geeks’ star, dead at 82

Joe Flaherty, an original cast member on the Canadian sketch comedy series "SCTV" died on Monday. He was 82.

Flaherty died following a "brief illness," his daughter Gudrun confirmed to The Associated Press.

The two-time Emmy award-winning writer also found fame playing Harold Weir on the NBC series "Freaks and Geeks."

Freaks and Geeks season one cast. Back row: Joe Flaherty as Harold Weir and Becky Ann Baker as Jean Weir. Front row: John Francis Daley as Sam Weir and Linda Cardellini as Lindsay Weir. (Chris Haston/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)

Flaherty, who was born in Pittsburgh, began his career in comedy at The Second City improv comedy troupe before establishing a new center in Toronto

He starred alongside John Candy and Catherine O'Hara in "SCTV," a series about a fictional TV station, Second City Television, which featured a range of characters in front of and behind the camera.

Egeune Levy, Rick Moranis, Harold Ramis and Martin Short also starred on the program, which ran for six seasons on NBC.

Tracy Wright is an entertainment reporter for Fox News Digital. Send story tips to Tracy.Wright@fox.com.