‘Saturday Night Live’ Costume Designer Franne Lee Dies at 81

Tony Award-winning costume designer Franne Lee died Aug. 17 following a short illness, NPR has confirmed. Lee, who was 81, was best known for her work on “Saturday Night Live,” where she costumed iconic characters including the Coneheads, the Killer Bees and the Blues Brothers. “Doing sets and wardrobe for a show like ‘SNL’ is a gauntlet,” Laraine Newman, one of the show’s former cast members, told NPR. Jane Curtin, Laraine Newman and Dan Aykroyd on “Saturday Night Live” in 1978. Lee worked on “SNL” from the show’s premiere in 1975 until 1980. She frequently hunted for items from thrift shops like Goodwill. “She was always looking for the deal,” said Lee’s daughter, Stacy Sandler. One of Lee’s final interviews took place last year when she appeared on the podcast “Ian Talks Comedy.” In a nearly hour-long episode, Lee revealed that while she wasn’t always a fan of the show’s humor, she greatly enjoyed working with stars like Newman and Gilda Radner. “I didn’t like a lot of the writing to be honest with you,” Lee said. “I thought some of it was good but I thought it was very sophomoric.” During her tenure at “SNL,” Lee also created costumes for operas and Broadway musicals helmed

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