Comedian Candy Palmater, known for ‘The Candy Show’ and ‘Trailer Park Boys,’ dead at 53

candy palmater canadian comedian dead at 53
Denise Tompkins (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Candy Palmater, a Canadian comedian best known for her work on The Candy Show and Trailer Park Boys, passed away at age 53 on Christmas Day.

The heartbreaking news was shared with Palmater’s Instagram profile, in a post that her wife Denise placed on the site, via a sweet tribute to her life and the light that she shared with so many.

The message read, “A great glowing spirit left our world today,” including her birth date and day of her passing on a simple black background.

She added in the Saturday post, “I have few words. Candy passed away today at home suddenly.” She promised to post more information soon.

While little is known about Palmater’s passing, fans of the comedian were aware that she recently spent weeks in the hospital. Palmater shared an Instagram post on Dec. 14 announcing she was diagnosed with a rare condition called EGPA (Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis). Palmater took the opportunity in the post to share her gratitude for the nurses and the compassion, humanity, and abilities by figuring out her diagnosis. She credited them with comedic relief, bringing her meals and stopping to chat about life outside of the hospital, and keeping her spirits up in general.

According to the Cleveland Clinic’s website, the disorder — formerly known as Churg-Strauss Syndrome — is “a rare disease that happens when certain types of cells in your blood or tissues inflame.”