Candy Palmater Dies, The Candy Show and Trailer Park Boys Star Was 53

Sad news is coming in as Candy Palmater has reportedly passed away. The Canadian actress and comedian, who led The Candy Show and appeared on Trailer Park Boys, died peacefully at her home in Toronto on Christmas Day. A cause of death wasn’t revealed, but her passing was confirmed by her partner and manager, Denise Tompkins. Palmater was 53 years old.

“Post by Denise. I have few words. Candy passed away today at home suddenly. I will post information soon,” Tompkins posted on The Candy Show‘s Instagram account on Saturday.

The Candy Show was created and hosted by Palmater on APTN. She also served as a regular co-host on CTV’s afternoon talk show The Social. On Twitter, the program’s official account also posted a message honoring Palmater.

“Today our entire team is grieving the sudden passing of our good friend Candy Palmater, who always left us smiling a bit bigger, laughing a bit harder, and thinking a bit more critically about the world around us. We’re thinking of her loved ones today. She’ll be deeply missed,” the message states.

“Candy was an incredible talent but also a truly special person,” adds CBC News general manager Susan Marjetti. “It is such a loss. Another light has gone out in the world today.”

Palmater also hosted The Candy Palmater Show on CBC Radio One and narrated the CBC-TV series True North Calling. She also served as a panelist on CBC Canada Reads in 2017. Though she was an entertainer at heart, Palmater previously studied law and worked as a lawyer, also working for the Nova Scotia government. She had recently finished an autobiography that’s scheduled to be released in 2022.

Trailer Park Boys fans will also remember Palmater appearing as the character Candy in several episodes of the popular comedy show’s 10th season in 2016. A message of tribute posted to the official Twitter account for the show reads, “Sad news: Actor, comedian, broadcaster (and badass nipple-twister) Candy Palmater sadly passed away Christmas Day. Sending all our love from Sunnyvale.”

Prior to her death, Palmater had been cast in the upcoming CBC Television sitcom Run the Burbs. The series, which also stars Andrew Phung, Rakhee Morzaria, Zoriah Wong, and Roman Pesino, is set to premiere on Jan. 5, 2022. She is listed in the credits for the pilot episode on IMDb, though it’s unclear how many total episodes she will appear in. This will also mark her final acting credit. Along with her role in Trailer Park Boys, Palmater also had recurring roles as Louella on Sex & Violence and Agness in Forgive Me.

“When I’m asked to describe myself, I always say I’m a gay native recovered lawyer turned feminist comic, who was raised by bikers in the wilds of northern New Brunswick,” Palmater said in a 2016 interview with the Toronto Star. “I’m very interested in loving kindness, and the notion of self-acceptance. I feel like every time you open a magazine, watch a movie, turn on the television, you’re constantly being told you’re not enough: not rich enough, not pretty enough, not thin enough … I think we’re all more than enough, but we’re not told that often enough.”

At this time, our thoughts are with those close to Palmater feeling the pain of her passing. We thank her for her contributions and the laughs. Rest in peace, Candy Palmater.

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