Former SNL writer Joe Bodolai dies in L.A. suicide

The death of Canadian TV producer Joe Bodolai in a Hollywood hotel room has been ruled a suicide by the Los Angeles coroner's office.

According to the coroner's office, the former "Saturday Night Live" writer and "The Kids in the Hall" producer drank a mixture of Gatorade and antifreeze sometime before his body was discovered by room service staff at 1:30 p.m. Monday.

The Los Angeles police said that no suicide note was found in the room.

His blog or his Twitter account, which had more than 22,000 entries, may have provided a clue. One of his last tweets, posted on Christmas Eve, was: "Goodbye."

The man who helped create The Comedy Network had checked in to the Re-Tan Hotel on Dec. 19.

One of Bodolai's friends told The Associated Press that Bodolai was an outstanding writer who had a knack for comedy.

"In many ways Joe reminded me a little bit of Hunter (S. Thompson)," said producer John Brunton, president and CEO of Insight Production Company in Toronto.

"He was very, very well read, he had a broad scope of reference, he loved politics, he loved comedy, he was a terrific writer and one of the funniest guys I ever knew in my life."

Bodolai was born in the United States but moved to Canada to avoid being drafted for the Vietnam War. Brunton said that Bodolai moved back to the U.S. around the late 90s.

If the police had checked Bodolai's laptop, they might have found a 3,192-word opus by the 63-year-old Bodolai that is at times very funny, as befits one of Canada's comedy talents, but at other times sad and serious, as also befits the occasion.

The point-form blog entry is divided under various headings: Things I Think Will Happen Next Year; Stuff I Would Like to Have Seen In My Life; Things I Regret; and Things I am Proud Of.

Among the 11 things he predicted will happen next year are:

• Sales of Mayan Calendars up for 2012, drop for 2013.
• World Supply of Band Names will run out.
• Snooki will have another "book."

The man who wrote for 20 episodes of SNL went on to the stuff he would have liked to have seen in his life:

• Indians winning a World Series. (OK, not so bad since my Jays won two in a row!)
• Browns winning a Super Bowl.
• Young people mobilizing for change instead of watching E!
• An American awards show being half as good as mine. Or, basically, getting a chance here. I can run a show. I can create a show.
• Living in Paris or New York again.

His list of regrets began with "my inability to conquer my alcoholism" and followed with "the things I did because of it." He then added:

• Leaving Canada.
• Moving to Los Angeles.
• Not fighting harder or making a better deal to stay with The Comedy Network I helped create.
• Not being able to live up to the helping hand so many wonderful people offered me.
• The hurt I caused in my family, friends, and maybe even strangers.
• That I am no longer able to withstand any more of life's pain.
• Most of all, the pain I have caused and am now causing my sons and the love of my life, my ex-wife Bianca, my love and connection with her is infinite.
• The fact I will never get to repay the love and generosity you all deserve.