Nobody really knows how Gene Frenkle, the fictional cowbell player from Saturday Night Live’s legendary “More Cowbell” sketch, met his end. But that hasn’t stopped former SNL cast members and musicians from coming up with their own theories.
In the third episode of SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night, a documentary celebrating five decades of SNL, a group of comedy and music icons reminisced about the sketch’s impact—and speculated on how Frenkle (played by Will Ferrell) might have died.
Theories from Comedy Icons
Ferrell, who wrote the sketch, imagines a cartoonish end for his character:
“Walking down the street of New York and got crushed by a piano.”
Chris Parnell, who played the Blue Öyster Cult lead singer in the sketch, suggests something more grounded:
“I’m guessing an accidental drug overdose.”
Fred Armisen takes a more philosophical approach, saying:
“It’s just like one of those things where he had enough life in him, and the body was like, ‘Yeah, we’re good. We did it.’”
Director Beth McCarthy-Miller, who helmed over 200 SNL episodes, including the Christopher Walken-hosted “More Cowbell” sketch, has a simple explanation:
“I’m gonna say natural causes!”
Rockstars Weigh In
Musicians also got in on the fun, each offering their own wild take on Frenkle’s fate.
Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age, who once had his SNL performance crashed by Ferrell’s cowbell antics, paints a tragic picture:
“Bending over to pick up a penny in New York City. He was struck by a bus.”
Rock legend Dave Grohl—who has performed on SNL over 10 times keeps it short and strange:
“Bizarre gardening accident.”
A Happier Ending?
While most of these theories spell disaster for Frenkle, Dana Carvey imagines a much happier outcome:
“Gene Frenkle, he was Jeff Bezos’ favorite cowbell artist. Became friends, still alive. He lives in Newport Beach.”
The third episode of SNL50 also features interviews with Jimmy Fallon, Chris Kattan, and members of Blue Öyster Cult, the band behind “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper.”
Want to relive the cowbell magic? All episodes of SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night are streaming on Peacock.