Herb Sargent, an Emmy-winning “Saturday Night Live” writer, died Friday, May 6 at the age of 81.
The veteran TV man passed away in New York from a heart attack following surgery.
“Herb Sargent was a great man,” says Warren Leight, Vice President of the Writers Guild of America East. “He did more to help writers than anyone I’ve ever known.”
Mona Mangan, the guild’s executive director adds, “Herb was exceptionally generous to all writers and brought an unfailing sense of decency and good will to everything he did for the Guild. And, always, he was gloriously, brilliantly funny. We will miss him terribly.”
Herb Sargent was born on July 15, 1923 and raised in Upper Darby, Penn. He studied architecture at Penn State before serving in the army during World War II.
He switched to television by the end of the 40’s, writing for such shows as the “Victor Borge Show,” “The Tonight Show with Steve Allen,” “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson,” “The Perry Como Show,” and “That Week That Was.” However, he’s probably best known for work on the NBC show “Saturday Night Live,” for which he wrote for more than two decades.
He is survived by his wife LeGrand Council Mellon and his brother, screenwriter Alvin Sargent.
Credit: Zap2It
