Veteran Simpsons Writer, Producer Dies

Kevin Curran might not have been a household name, but there were few Americans he didn't get a laugh out of during a decades-long career in TV comedy writing and producing. Curran, a six-time Emmy winner who has died from complications from cancer at the age of 59, joined the producing team of The Simpsons in 2001 and wrote a dozen episodes, Deadline reports. He won three of his Emmys with The Simpsons and three with Late Night With David Letterman, where he was part of the writing team from 1985 to 1987, reports Variety. He came up with the show's first Top Ten list: "'Top Ten Words That Almost Rhyme with ‘Peas.'"

Curran's other TV credits included Married With Children, where he was a producer from 1990 to 1993—and provided the voice of Buck the Dog. His comedy career started at Harvard, where he was editor of the Harvard Lampoon. "Kevin Curran was a sweet, brilliant man who said many hilarious things, some unprintable, others which will live forever in a children’s cartoon," Simpsons showrunner Al Jean, who first met him at Harvard, said in a statement. Curran is survived by a son and daughter from his long relationship with Bridget Jones author Helen Fielding. (We lost Simpsons co-creator Sam Simon last year.)