Don Pardo was a timeless classic, and in selecting him as the announcer for the brand-new “Saturday Night Live,” Lorne Michaels must have known it. Michaels, who remains “SNL” executive producer, recalled on Tuesday, “When they gave me a list of NBC staff announcers and I saw his name, there was no hesitation.” On Monday, Pardo died at age 96, having served as an “SNL” mainstay and through-line from its debut in October 1975 up through the close of its 39th season in May. Michaels said, “He became our link to the beginnings of television on NBC.” Generation after generation, “SNL” players have come and gone, replaced by the next wave. Pardo, certifying each of them by declaring their names on the air, stayed put. But now, with the 40th season bearing down in September, Prado has left a void. Who could ever replace him? Michaels said, “It’s a question I’ve asked myself for maybe the last 10 years. I don’t have an answer. I’m still kind of dealing with this. Fortunately, I have a month.”
