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Prolific actor and singer Martin Mull has died.
Merle, known for her roles in “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman,” “Roseanne,” “Beef” and her role as Colonel Mustard in the 1980s cult comedy “Clue,” was 80.
His daughter, Maggie, paid tribute to her late father on Instagram on Friday, writing, “We are heartbroken to announce that my father passed away at home on June 27th after a long illness. He excelled in every creative field imaginable and was also known for creating the Red Roof Inn commercials. He will think the joke is funny. He was never boring. Our father will be deeply missed by his wife and daughter, friends and co-workers, fellow artists, comedians and musicians, and his many dogs who were symbols of a truly remarkable man. I loved him immensely.”
Mul was born in Chicago on August 18, 1943. He studied painting in the 60s and received an MFA from RISD. He would continue to paint for the rest of his life.
In 1970, he wrote Jane Morgan's country hit, “A Girl Named Johnny Cash.” He became known as a comic singer, opening for rock stars Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Randy Newman and Frank Zappa.
In 1972, he released his well-received self-titled album.
Mull made her acting debut in 1976 as twins Garth and Barth Gimble in the satirical soap opera “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.” The series, which ran for a year, became a widely parodied pop culture phenomenon and spawned two spin-offs starring Mull: “Fernwood 2 Night” (1977) and “America 2-Night” (1978).
Along with numerous guest appearances on series including “Taxi” (1979) and “The Golden Girls” (1990), Mull had regular roles on “Domestic Life” (1984), “His & Hers” (1990), “Family” (1990), “Dog” (1993), “Ellen” (2001-2002), and “The Cool Kids” (2018-2019).
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Mull and the late Fred Willard are best known for playing a couple in more than 40 episodes of “Roseanne” (1991-1997). When their characters were married in a 1995 episode titled “December Bride,” it marked the first time the series had depicted a same-sex wedding involving recurring characters.
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He also played Willard Kraft in 73 episodes of “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch”, which aired from 1997 to 2000.
Subsequent television appearances include “Arrested Development” (2004–2013), “American Dad!” (2005–2011), “Two and a Half Men” (2008–2013), “'Til Death” (2010), “Dads” (2013–2014), “Community” (2015), “Life in Pieces” (2015–2017), “The Ranch” (2016–2018), “I'm Sorry” (2017–2019), “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” (2020), “Grace and Frankie” (2022), “Not Dead Yet” (2023), and “The Afterparty” (2023), which will be his final work in the medium.
He received his only Emmy nomination for his role as politician Bob Bradley on “Veep” (2016).
Mull made an indelible impression several times in films including “FM” (1978), “Serial” (1980), “My Bodyguard” (1980), “Mr. Mom” (1983), and “Clue” (1985). The latter was a box office failure with three alternate endings. “Clue” eventually developed a passionate fan base, leading to the 2022 documentary “Who Done It: The Clue Documentary.”
Mull also appeared in “Mrs. Doubtfire” (1993), “Jingle All the Way” (1996), and “101 Dalmatians” (1996). His last feature film was 2018's “A Futile and Stupid Gesture,” and his most recent work was providing a voice for the 2023 video game “Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2.”
Mull is survived by his third wife, Wendy, and a daughter.
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