Emmy-winning writer for ‘The Simpsons’ and ‘King of the Hill,’ has died at 61 after a stroke, his family confirmed.
Dan McGrath, the Emmy-winning comedy writer and producer known for his influential work on The Simpsons and King of the Hill, has died at age 61.
He passed away Friday at NYU Langone Hospital in Brooklyn after suffering a stroke, his sister Gail Garabadian confirmed.
McGrath, born Daniel Anthony McGrath in Brooklyn on July 20, 1964, built a long and varied career in television comedy.
After writing and editing for The Harvard Lampoon, he joined Saturday Night Live in 1991, working on the iconic sketch series for two seasons and earning a 1992 Emmy nomination.
During his time there, he frequently collaborated with comedians Adam Sandler and Chris Farley.
He later became a key contributor to The Simpsons, earning writing credit on 50 episodes between 1992 and 1994 and producing credit on 24 episodes from 1996 to 1998. Known for his sharp comedic sensibilities, McGrath helped shape some of the show’s most memorable installments, including “The Devil and Homer Simpson,” “Time and Punishment,” “Bart of Darkness,” and several Treehouse of Horror episodes.
He won his Emmy in 1997 for the acclaimed episode “Homer’s Phobia.” McGrath often joked that he had been fired from the series twice.
McGrath went on to spend eight years on King of the Hill, where he wrote 11 episodes — among them “Full Metal Dust Jacket” and “The Minh Who Knew Too Much” — and earned producing credit on 28 episodes from 2002 to 2010.
Beyond his major network work, McGrath contributed to Muppets Tonight, Gravity Falls, Sammy, Mission Hill, The PJs, and other animated projects. Earlier in his career, he also designed computer games for an MIT-based education software company.
A graduate of Regis High School in Manhattan, McGrath studied East Asian Studies at Harvard University, where he also directed unconventional stage productions.
In recent years, he taught at the Brooklyn Comedy Collective, joking that he could “be appeased and safely approached with the offer of raw steaks and Popeye’s spicy chicken.”
McGrath is survived by his mother, Eleanor; sister, Gail; brothers, Michael and Peter; sister-in-law, Caroline; nephew, Dillon; and nieces, Kylie and Emma. Donations in his memory may be made to Regis High School.
A visitation is scheduled for Monday at McLaughlin & Sons Funeral Home in Brooklyn at 5 p.m., followed by a funeral service Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. at St. Patrick’s Church in Brooklyn.
