Matt Villines, who was one half of the directing duo Matt & Oz, has died of cancer at the age of 39.
"Saturday Night Live" star 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.
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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.
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