David Jacobs, best known as the creator of "Dallas" and its spinoff, "Knots Landing," has died days before his birthday, at age 84.
The news was confirmed by his son, Aaron Jacobs, who noted that the Baltimore-born writer-producer died Sunday in Burbank, California.
"He had Alzheimer’s for many years, and recently he had recurring infections that led to his death," he said in a statement, according to the New York Daily News.
Jacobs started out as a nonfiction writer who kickstarted his small screen career in 1977, writing episodes of "Kingston: Confidential" and "Family," the outlet noted.
The following year "Dallas" made its debut. The show went on to run for 14 seasons and featured 356 episodes, many of which were written by Jacobs.
Over the course of its run, the CBS primetime soap opera earned a dozen Emmy nominations as well as four wins, and spawned multiple made-for-TV movies, a 2010s reboot and the spinoff "Knots Landing," which debuted in 1979 and ended in 1993 — spanning 14 seasons, Daily News noted.
Jacobs was also the creator and producer of the relatively shorter-lived CBS series "Paradise" and "Homefront," which earned him two back-to-back Emmy nominations in 1992 and 1993, respectively.
Following news of his death, several stars paid tribute to Jacobs.
"There are no words to describe how forever grateful I have always been for the opportunity to be his Valene Ewing on both Dallas and Knots Landing," actor Joan Van Ark shared in a statement to Entertainment Tonight on Tuesday. "This leaves a huge hole in my heart and soul ... both personally and creatively."
Michele Lee, who starred as Karen MacKenzie on "Knotts Landing," meanwhile recalled feeling as if Jacobs was family.
"I always said David knew my voice and the voice of my character, Karen," she added. "I knew when he was writing for me and Karen it would be perfection, because he got into her soul and made her who she was. And I think that was the reason the audience accepted us into their homes as members of their own family."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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