William Link, best known as the co-creator of the hit TV series "Columbo" and "Murder, She Wrote," has died of congestive heart failure at 87. He passed away on Sunday in Los Angeles, his wife, Margery Nelson confirmed to Deadline.
Link wrote dozens of TV series, films, and plays but his claim to fame came when he paired up with Richard Levinson to create the crime drama series "Columbo," which aired from 1971 to 1978. Steven Spielberg directed the first episode.
"Bill’s truly good nature always inspired me to do good work for a man who, along with Dick Levinson, was a huge part of what became my own personal film school on the Universal lot," Spielberg said in a statement. "Bill was one of my favorite and most patient teachers and, more than anything, I learned so much from him about the true anatomy of a plot."
Spielberg recalled working with Link on "Columbo."
"I caught a huge break when Bill and Dick trusted a young, inexperienced director to do the first episode of Columbo," he explained. "That job helped convince the studio to let me do Duel, and with all that followed I owe Bill so very, very much. My thoughts are with Margery and his entire family."
After "Columbo," Link, Levinson, and Peter S. Fischer teamed up to create "Murder, She Wrote," which debuted in 1984 and ran for 12 years. Additionally, Link's other TV credits include "The Bold Ones," "Mannix," "McCloud," "Tenafly," and "The Cosby Mysteries," according to his biography. He also created several films including "The Hunter," "Rollercoaster," and "The Hindenburg."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
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