Canadian standup comedy veteran Mike MacDonald has died.

John Paul MacDonald says his older brother died on Saturday afternoon at the age of 62.

He says Mike MacDonald died from heart complications at the Ottawa Heart Institute.

The longtime comedian was a regular on the Just for Laughs stage and also appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman and Arsenio Hall.

He also starred in multiple CBC and Showtime specials.

His brother said MacDonald loved nothing more than to make people laugh.

As news of MacDonald's death spread in the comedy world, social media tributes came pouring in.

"Mike MacDonald probably did more to popularize stand-up in Canada than anyone else of his generation. He inspired many comics in the 1980s & 90s to enter comedy. For most of us, sharing the stage with him for the first time was a really big deal," writer and comedian Kliph Nesteroff tweeted.

"Respect must be paid. Thank you for the laughs, Mike. Thank you for the work ethic and being a real deal comic influencer," Kathy Griffin tweeted.

Brent Butt, standup comedian and creator of "Corner Gas," tweeted that the news left him numb.

"Spent so many nights (late80s/early90s) into the morning, playing cards & laughing ourselves sick. And fighting. Then laughing more," he wrote.