Louie Anderson's Net Worth: How Much Was The Comedian Worth When He Died?

The legendary comedian Louie Anderson has tragically died at the age of 68. Earlier this week, Anderson was hospitalized amid a diagnosis of Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, per TMZ. The condition is a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system in which the body makes abnormal B lymphocytes — the kind of white blood cells that help the body ward off infections, according to Cancer Research UK. It was confirmed by Anderson's publicist, Glenn Schwartz, that Anderson had died due to complications from the cancer, per The New York Times.

Anderson is known for his role as Christine in the comedy series "Baskets" and his role in the animated show "Life with Louie," but his comedy reached far and wide throughout his career. In a statement shared with Variety, the National Comedy Center honored his lasting legacy in the medium. "Louie Anderson made his mark on the art form in wide-ranging ways," the statement read, "and gifted us all with comedy that deftly ranged from hilarious to poignant."

Aside from his stand-up routines and acting career, the iconic comedian was involved in a number of other projects, allowing him to build quite the nest egg for himself.

In a career spanning nearly 40 years, Louie Anderson was able to earn himself a small fortune, mostly thanks to the multitude of projects he took on. Anderson was worth $10 million at the time of his death, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

His net worth couldn't have been further away from that when he was growing up, though. In fact, Anderson was one of 11 kids and grew up "very poor," something he spoke about often in his comedy specials. "We had to pick a lot of times what we were going to shut off: the lights or the gas. Usually we'd shut off the lights cause my mom had a thousand candles she stole from the church," he said in his special "Louie Anderson: Big Underwear." He added, "We'd have a seance in the afternoon."

Luckily for Anderson, his career took off after his TV debut on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" in 1984, in which he famously said, "I can't stay long, I'm in between meals." Since then, he has had several stand-up specials, notable roles in "Coming to America" and "Search Party," hosted "Family Feud" for three years, then earned an Emmy award and two more nominations for his role in "Baskets," per IMDb. Anderson's other prospects undoubtedly added to his large net worth as well. The multi-hyphenate was also a "New York Times" bestselling author, created a podcast, and put on several shows in Las Vegas. Anderson's story is a true tale of rags to riches.