LOS ANGELES: Emmy Award-winning writer Bob Ellison has died. He was 91. As per The Hollywood Reporter, Bob passed away on April 8 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
The unfortunate news was shared by Bob's manager Malcolm Orland a month after his demise. Remembering Bob, Malcolm Orland said, "He was a sweetheart and so good at what he did." Bob wrote and/or produced several specials that starred Julie Andrews and Burt Bacharach. He also co-developed the 1988-92 NBC sitcom Dear John, starring Judd Hirsch.
He wrote 15 episodes and was an executive story editor during the last two of The Mary Tyler Moore Show's seven seasons (from 1975-77). He shared an Emmy with Allan Burns, James L. Brooks, Ed. Weinberger, Stan Daniels and David Lloyd for the beloved series finale, "The Last Show." Bob bagged his first Emmy for a 1971 Bacharach special and was also nominated for his writing on The Kraft Music Hall that year, Julie and Carol at Lincoln Center (that would be Andrews and Carol Burnett) in 1972 and The Julie Andrews Hour in 1973, as per The Hollywood Reporter. He worked on the Mary Tyler Moore spinoffs Rhoda and Phyllis and produced The Betty White Show, all for MTM Enterprises, too. He is survived by his wife, Elaine. They had no children.