The world of television has lost something fun.
Martin Mull, beloved comedian and veteran star of numerous hit TV shows, died this week at the age of 80.
According to the actor’s daughter, who shared the sad news via Instagram, Mulrhys had been battling the illness for an unknown period of time.
“It is with a heavy heart that I announce that my father passed away at home on June 27th after a courageous fight against a long illness,” his daughter wrote in a statement, adding:
“He excelled in every creative field imaginable and was famous for creating commercials for Red Roof Inn.
“That person will think the joke is funny. “He was never boring.”
The actor rose to prominence in the 1970s after appearing in the soap opera parody series Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman and its spinoffs Fernwood 2 Night and America 2 Night.
Small screen viewers of the 1990s knew Mull from her roles in popular shows like Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, and Roseanne.
Later in his very impressive and respected career, Mull went on to star in Two and a Half Men, Arrested Development, The Ranch, and The Cool Kids.
In 2016, she was nominated for an Emmy for her guest role on Veep.
Mul appeared regularly on the game show Hollywood Squares for 425 episodes from 1998 to 2004, most of which featured a prominent center square role.
In a previous AV Club interview, Mull, who studied painting and earned a bachelor’s degree in fine art and a master’s degree in painting from the Rhode Island School of Design, was asked how a painter got into acting, to which he responded:
“You know, all the artists I know have jobs during the day, like teaching art at some university or driving a taxi or something like that.
“And I was lucky enough to do something very special and fun, and I bought a lot of paint.”
Mull’s daughter concluded in her loving tribute:
My dad will be deeply missed by his wife and daughter, friends and co-workers, fellow artists, comedians and musicians, and his many dogs, the sign of a truly remarkable man. I loved him immensely..
Martin Mull is survived by his wife, actress and composer Wendy Haas, whom he married in 1982; and his daughter, Maggie, a television writer and producer.
We send our condolences to his friends, family and loved ones. May Mull rest in peace.
