Yahoo Finance Bob Saget Reflects on His Friendship with Late Norm Macdonald: 'I'm Always Going to Love Him'
Bob Saget has dedicated an entire episode of his podcast to remembering the late Norm Macdonald.
Macdonald died Tuesday at 61 following a private nine-year battle with cancer. Saget, 65, was close friends with the comedian and directed him in the 1998 movie Dirty Work, which Macdonald co-wrote and starred in.
On his podcast, the Full House alum admitted that he was "not functioning too well" following the news of Macdonald's death and grew emotional at various points during the episode, even noting at one point that there was a tear running down his face.
"This is just a f------ knife in the heart for all of us that were close to him and all of you who loved him," he said. "And me, personally, I don't know, I'm just doing this on the fly and seeing if I can make a point or give some stories that might bring you a smile and let you know, from my perspective, why this is a beloved, wonderful man who we've lost."
Bei/Shutterstock
RELATED: Darrell Hammond Remembers Late SNL Costar Norm Macdonald: 'He Was Utterly Himself'
"He was a comedic genius, anybody that didn't get it, I'm sorry for you that you didn't get it," Saget later added. "He was one of the most important people in my life and one of the sweetest and we loved each other."
The actor also recalled meeting Macdonald when the Saturday Night Live star was just 17 years old. The pair went on to work together on Dirty Work and Macdonald even appeared on 2008's Comedy Central Roast of Bob Saget.
Saget said that prior to Macdonald's set on the special, which has been circulating on social media in the days since his death, Macdonald expressed his hesitance at roasting his friend.
"I talked to him a week before and he called me and he said, 'Saget I can't say mean things about you, you're my friend, I don't even want to do it but I'm going to do it because it's you,'" Saget remembered, noting that there was a section of the roast that never made it on the air where Macdonald purposefully bombed.
Mike Coppola/Getty Images; Jason Kempin/Getty Images
RELATED: Norm Macdonald Summed Up His Life in 2016 Memoir Before Death: It's 'Impossible for Me to Be Bitter'
In addition to his "comedic genius," Saget also reflected on Macdonald's caring personality.
"He cared about people a lot," he said. "And he felt the human condition [so] deeply that it affected him in different ways."
"He made me better," he continued. "He made me better as a comedian. More importantly, he was a genuine friend, and our friendship was really very deep."
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Saget said that while Macdonald kept his cancer diagnosis private, he had "suspected" something was wrong with his health in recent months. The last time he connected with Macdonald was about a week ago, he said, when Macdonald simply texted him, "I love you."
"I didn't say much back, I just said 'I love you Norm' and that was my last communication with him," Saget said through tears.
"One of the gifts of my life is that he loved me and that I loved him," he added. "Hell, I'm always going to love him. I mean, there's not another guy like this guy."
