Saturday Night Live Announcer Don Pardo Dies

Veteran broadcaster Don Pardo, best known for being the announcer of Saturday Night Live, has died at the age of 96.

Pardo died peacefully at his home in Tucson, Arizona, according to his daughter, Dona Pardo.

For four decades he was an integral part of SNL, heralding the cast's names to kick off each show.

Jimmy Fallon, a former cast member, once said: "Nothing is like the moment when Don Pardo says your name."

While his face may not have been instantly recognisable, his baritone voice and majestic delivery graced newscasts, game shows and TV programmes for more than 60 years.

His resonant voice-over style was widely imitated and became the standard in the field.

Before SNL, he was an announcer for many popular game shows, including Jeopardy! and The Price Is Right.

Dominick George Pardo was born in Westfield, Massachusetts, on February 22, 1918, and grew up in Norwich, Connecticut.

He began his vocal career at radio station WJAR in Providence, Rhode Island, in the early 1940s.

Soon thereafter, he met a supervisor at NBC who hired the young Pardo immediately upon hearing his voice

He was with SNL from its first episode in 1975 and even after he retired from NBC he continued announcing for the show.