Former ‘Saturday Night Live’ head writer Bob Tischler dead at 78

nypost.com:

Saturday Night Live,” Bob Tischler, has died at age 78.Tischler’s son, Zeke, confirmed his father’s death to The New York Times on Monday.

He told the outlet that the sketch comedy show writer died on July 13 at his home in Bodega Bay, California, following a battle with pancreatic cancer.

Tischler was largely credited with his work to help revive the late-night series after its 1980-1981 season.“Saturday Night Live” creator Lorne Michaels handed the show over to Jean Doumanian for Season 6, which caused the show to suffer until Dick Ebersol replaced her and brought in Tischler — who served as a supervising producer.

Tischler was promoted to head writer a year later, a position he held until he departed in 1985.Ebersol touched on working with Tischler in his 2022 autobiography, “From Saturday Night to Sunday Night: My Forty Years of Laughter, Tears, and Touchdowns in TV.”The 77-year-old wrote that Tischler “wanted the show to succeed,” noting, “but more than that, he was exactly the leader the writers’ room needed — steady, calm and respected.”The comedic writer worked closely with cast member Eddie Murphy to help revive the NBC show and wrote for other stars, such as Billy Crystal, Guest, and Martin Short.