Ron Leavitt, TV writer and producer, died of lung cancer at his home in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 10, 2008. His passing was reported by his fiancee, model and actress Jessica Hahn.
Leavitt, co-creator, with Michael Moye, of Married…with Children produced 150 episodes over 11 seasons to make it the second longest running sitcom on the FOX network. He began his career writing episodes of Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley and The Bad New Bears. He also wrote and produced episodes of The Jeffersons, co-wrote the pilot for Silver Spoons and co-created the Jason Bateman sitcom It’s Your Move.
Ed O’Neill, who played Al Bundy on the show, told The LA Times on Monday that Leavitt was “one of the funniest guys I ever knew. He has a very original way of thinking in terms of comedy. He was a brilliant comedic writer.”
He was recognized by the State of California as “Citizen Hero of the Year” in 2001. He is survived by two children, Matt and Samantha and his long time partner Jessica Hahn.Jessica Hahn spoke to Howard Stern on his radio show and reported that Leavitt, a smoker, was diagnosed with lung cancer a week before his death. Hahn was thrust into the media spotlight in 1980, when at the age of 21, the church secretary implicated televangelist Jim Baker in a sex scandal.
Check out a recent bizarre appearance of Jessica Hahn on The View
Photo gallery with Playboy cover pics of Hahn below: