Dan McGrath, ‘The Simpsons’ writer, dead at 61
Dan McGrath, the comedy writer behind many iconic The Simpsons episodes, has died aged 61.
His death was confirmed by his sister, Gail Garabadian, who informed The Hollywood Reporter that he passed away at the NYU Langone Hospital in Brooklyn on November 14th following a stroke.
Garabadian also wrote on Facebook, “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.”
McGrath, who was born in Brooklyn, got his break in the television industry on Saturday Night Live as a writer after attending Harvard. During his time at 30 Rock, he worked closely with Adam Sandler and Chris Farley.
The opportunity to work on The Simpsons arose in 1992, with McGrath receiving writing credits on 50 episodes and 24 producer credits between 1996 and 1998.
Notable episodes that McGrath wrote include ‘Boy-Scoutz ‘n the Hood’ and ‘The Devil and Homer Simpson’.
He also won an Emmy for his work on ‘Homer’s Phobia’, which guest-starred director John Waters as a gay antiques dealer who befriends Marge, much to the dismay of Homer.
Following the conclusion of his career on The Simpsons, McGrath later worked as a writer and producer on a series of King of the Hill episodes, as well as Mission Hill and Gravity Falls.
McGrath also taught classes at The Brooklyn Comedy Collective. His family are encouraging people to donate to his former school, Regis High, in his memory.
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