A
lot of people loved comedian and actor Martin Mull. He died at the age of 80,
according to his family.
Maggie
Mull, Mull’s daughter, posted the sad news on Instagram, saying that her father
had died at home “after a valiant fight against a long illness.”
“He
was known for excelling at every creative discipline imaginable and also for
doing Red Roof Inn commercials,” she told us.
“That
joke would make him laugh.” He was always funny. Friends, coworkers, fellow
artists, comedians, musicians, and, most importantly, many, many dogs will miss
my dad very much. His wife and daughter will also miss him a lot. I loved him
very much.”
Mull
was most likely best known for his roles as coach Willard Kraft on Sabrina the
Teenage Witch and as Roseanne Connor’s friend Leon Carp on the sitcom of the
same name.
He
also played the private eye Gene Parmesean on the show Arrested Development.
Mull
was nominated for his first and only Emmy in 2016 for his role as Bob Bradley
on Veep.
Mull
had a lot of different jobs over the course of his career. For example, he
worked with Fred Willard to write the 1985 mockumentary The History of White
People in America.
He
loved writing songs and making people laugh. In the early 1970s, country music
star Jane Morgan recorded his song A Girl Named Johnny Cash, which was a parody
of A Boy Named Sue.
It
stayed on the Hot Country Songs chart on Billboard for five weeks.
Mull
played the guitar in nightclubs and sang parody songs for a living. He even
opened for Frank Zappa, Randy Newman, Bruce Springsteen, and Billy Joel.
A
review on AllMusic.com said, “Mull’s strange sense of humor is clear on all of
his albums, but he’s not a parody artist like Weird Al.”
“His
albums are skewed singer/songwriter, pop/rock with a strong jazz influence,
which just happen to have funny lyrics.”
A
PROSPEROUS CAREER
Melissa
Joan Hart, who played Sabrina Spellman on the popular TV show, talked about her
longtime principal who made a lot of mistakes.
“Rest
in peace, friend. The amazing #MartinMull (Principal Kraft) has died and gone
to be with God,” she wrote on Instagram.
“I
have such fond memories of working with him and being in awe of his huge body
of work which before #SabrinaTheTeemageWitch included #Roseanne and #MrMom as
the projects I knew him from.”
Hart
also said that after they were done with Sabrina, Mull kept taking on guest
roles and recurring roles on other shows.
“He
once told me that he takes every job he’s offered just in case the train comes
to an end, which in this business tends to halt quickly,” she said.
He
liked to paint and build things with his hands, though. He was also a musician
and a great person who I am better for knowing. He will be missed, but the world
was better because he was here. I’m very sorry for his family and friends’
loss.
“I
will continue to cherish the Martin Mull artwork hanging in my home!”
Mull
was born on August 18, 1943, in Chicago, Illinois. His father was a carpenter,
and his mother was an actress and director.
He
lived in both North Ridgeville, Ohio, and New Canaan, Connecticut, as a child.
He
was going to the Rhode Island School of Design to become a painter. He planned
to get a bachelor’s degree in fine arts and a master’s degree in painting.
Mull
got his start in show business when he put together bands to make money for
school.
His
daughter, who writes and produces TV shows, and his third wife, Wendy Haas,
whom he married in 1982, survive him.
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