Who was Eric Gilliland? Ryan Reynolds and others pay tribute as Roseanne producer passes away at 62

Longtime TV producer and writer Eric Gilliland passes away (Image via Instagram/ @vancityreynolds, @ergill2)
Longtime TV producer and writer Eric Gilliland passes away (Image via Instagram/ @vancityreynolds, @ergill2)

Eric Gilliland, best known for producing Roseanne, passed away at the age of 62. His sister Lisa confirmed the unfortunate news with Variety, stating that he died on Sunday, September 1, 2024. While there is no official word on a cause of death, he underwent surgery earlier this year as he battled stage 4 colon cancer.

Hailing from Glenview, Illinois, Gilliland was an accomplished television producer and comedy writer. He produced hit TV shows like Welcome to New York and My Boys. He had also written for shows like The Wonder Years, That '70s Show, and Mr. Sunshine.

The producer's work earned him several awards, including a Golden Globe for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy (Roseanne), a few GLAAD awards, and a Peabody Award.

As news of Eric Gilliland's demise spread, his friends and peers took to social media to express their loss. This included Ryan Reynolds, who shared a long tribute on his Instagram, writing:

"My friend (and friend to many) Eric Raymond Gilliland passed away Sunday. He was kind. And gentle. And funny as hell. And incapable of holding a conversation that was cruel or tore someone down. It’s a tragedy he’s gone and a tragedy more people won’t have the chance to know him."

"He was my university"— Ryan Reynolds offers tribute to Eric Gilliland

The Deadpool actor continued to describe his first meeting with Eric Gilliland. Ryan Reynolds mentioned that he met the producer as a newbie. At the time, Eric had finished writing for Roseanne and had a "swank bungalow office" in Los Angeles. Having known each other for 27 years, he added that the producer helped him grow as an artist:

"He [Eric] was my university. He helped me grow and find my voice. And he did all of it while finding himself."

Reynolds, along with Eric's other friend and food TV producer Angie Peccini elaborated on the parties that the producer liked to organize during festive time. In his later years, the Illinois native had moved to New York and lived in a storied West Village townhouse, where he held his annual Glogg parties (Swedish spiced mulled wine) on Christmas.

Talking about the same, Angie Peccini wrote on Facebook:

"It was a rager. He had a local family come play jug music, and everyone would be singing, the fire roaring. The annual invite that he emailed was always highly anticipated, and it was always very funny and well written of course."

Peccini called Eric Gilliland "the ultimate connector," adding that many of his friends must be wondering what to do without him.

Moreover, Modern Family co-creator Steve Levitan, who went to middle school with Gilliland, shared an emotional message on his Facebook account. He talked about their shared love for comedy and bad puns. He further mentioned:

"Eric was just plain smart and funny. In high school, we did plays and musicals and comedy assemblies, parts of which we even co-wrote."

In addition to his television career, Eric Gilliland mentored young writers, teaching a course in TV story analysis at NYU's Goldberg School of Dramatic Writing at Tisch. Per his IMDb biography by Mary Birdsong, Gilliland described his comedy writing as:

"Much of his humor features a healthy portion of mid-western "meat and potatoes" sensibility."

According to Birdsong, he was a "passionate soup enthusiast" and an expert whistler. He lent his whistling to Sam Winch's The Lullabadeer, many Sumack albums, and an episode of Penn & Teller: Bullsh*t! He also provided whistling to Martha Plimpton's performance of Thunder Road on Studio 360 (a weekly public radio show, now canceled).

Plimpton also took to her Instagram to mourn the loss of her friend, writing:

"I don’t know entirely what to do with myself. Today is harder. The world is a less happy and laughter-filled place without my friend, @ergill2, Eric Gilliland."

There is no official word on Gilliland's funeral and memorial service.

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Edited by DEEPALI
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