A star behind The Simpsons has died. Dan McGrath, the Emmy-winning comedy writer renowned for the cartoon show, died on Friday, 14 November, following a stroke at the age of 61. His sister Gail McGrath Garabadian announced the devastating news in a heartfelt Facebook post.
“We lost my incredible brother Danny yesterday. He was a special man, one of a kind. An incredible son, brother, uncle and friend. Our hearts are broken,” she wrote.
Tributes poured in for the talented writer as word of his death spread. “Feeling hard the lost of Dan McGrath — a brilliant artist, who I so admired I followed him around for like a year in college. (I can still see him in my mind’s eye, wearing a ‘Jump Up and Kiss Me’ T-shirt and gesturing broadly about his latest play.)
“I was honoured to work with him on ‘As I Lay Dying’ and loved cackling with my family at his wit on ‘Gravity Falls.’ My prayers go out to his mother, Eleanor, the rest of his family, and his many many friends who I know feel this keenly. R.I.P. Danny, we’re better for having known you,” one friend shared on Facebook.
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“Oh no!!!! Danny directed me in a few shows, and I loved working with him. A true genius, always kind, and pushing the envelope. It was thrilling. I think of him often, although we were not in touch. So sad…” another wrote.
A third person posted on X: “R.I.P. today to Dan McGrath, great person and super-talented writer at The Simpsons, SNL, King of the Hill, and Mission Hill, where he was right-hand man to @Joshstrangehill and me — and responsible for the incredible Gus & Wally episode.”
A fourth added: “The animation community mourns the passing of Emmy-winning writer Dan McGrath who worked on some of the more memorable episodes of The Simpsons, King of the Hill and Mission Hill on Friday, Nov. 14 at age 61.”
A fifth commented: “RIP to Dan and my condolences to his family and the many Mission Hill fans. Gus and Wally are my favorite representation of LGBT in media and that episode really highlights their story.”
Dan launched his career whilst studying at Harvard University, writing for their publication The Harvard Lampoon. He also established himself as a theatre director during this time.
He secured his first Emmy nomination for his contributions to Saturday Night Live in 1992. He would subsequently win the prestigious award for his work on The Simpsons’ 1997 episode Homer’s Phobia, which featured guest voice actor John Waters.
It received praise from organisations like GLAAD for its anti-homophobia message.
Other notable episodes of The Simpsons he wrote include Time and Punishment, Bart of Darkness, Treehouse of Horror IV and Boy-Scoutz ‘n the Hood. In total, he accumulated over 50 writing credits on the programme and more than 20 as a producer.
Despite this, he claimed he was sacked twice from the series. In addition to his work on the long-running animated sitcom, he also wrote for Gravity Falls, King of the Hill and The PJs.
He contributed to Sammy, co-created by SNL collaborator David Spade, and Muppets Tonight.
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Source: Mirror
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