[Music] Eric gilland a TV writer and producer known for his work on Roseanne has died he was 62 gillin died on Sunday September 1st his sister Lisa confirmed to variety no cause of death was disclosed though the news comes months after the writer announced that he underwent surgery in February after years of battling stage for colon cancer a representative for gillin did not immediately respond to entertainment Weekly's request for comment following news of gillan's death came an outpouring of love from friends and former colleagues paying their respects Steven Levitan who has produced such titles as Frasier and Modern Family wrote on Facebook that he has known gilland since middle school weird I know but I found myself thinking this morning that Eric Gillan would have taken some perverse pleasure in knowing that of all people he was outlived by Dick Van djk Levitan wrote that's one of the ways Eric and I bonded back in 8th grade over our mutual love for the Dick Van dijk show and Monty Python Jack Benny the Carol brunette show SNL and bad ponds yes people we started a pun Club after reminiscing about their time together in school Levitan noted that gillin booking a gig as a writer on Roseanne in the early 90s inspired him to pursue his own dreams of working in TV a job like that would have seemed completely unattainable to me if I hadn't known someone who actually pulled it off he wrote I guess I figured that if Eric was brave enough to take a chance like that I should be too so I owe him a lot for that he added I'm really sad that we never got the chance to work together and that we let so much time pass between visits rest in peace little Bucky but first take a big hammy bow you deserve it Deadpool and Wolverine star Ryan Reynolds was also among those who paid tribute to gilland writing he was kind and gentle and funny as hell and incapable of holding a conversation that was cruel or tore someone down it's a tragedy he's gone and a tragedy more people won't have a chance to know him he added that gilland was a crucial Mentor figure early in his career who helped me grow and find my voice gilland was also remembered by Actress Martha Plimpton who shared several pictures of the writer with the caption I don't know entire irely what to do with myself today is harder the world is a less happy and laughter-filled place without my friend at uril 2 Eric gilland in his own tribute post Scandal actor Dan bingy wrote there are no words for a man who is so good with his brilliant sweet kind funny generous his legacy is the wake of love he generated from so many friends heartbreaking Michael Fishman who starred his de DJ on Roseanne also pinned a tribute on Instagram heaven got another great writer he wrote they always take the best I know they're laughing hard endless dry wit and an encyclopedia of knowledge Eric gilland is Unforgettable born March 28th 1962 in Illinois Gillan was a graduate of Northwestern University he booked his first big TV gig as a writer on who's the boss the hit sitcom starring Tony Dan Judith Light and Alysa Milano after a year with the show he worked on the coming of age comedy The Wonder Years before serving as a writer and producer on Roseanne from 1992 1996 that the series starring Roseanne Bar in the titular role originally ran for nine seasons and featured in the top four of the neelen rating for six of them it was briefly rebooted in 2018 before spinning off into the Connors for his time on Roseanne gilland received a Writers Guild of America award nomination for the show's 1992 episode The Dark Ages he later served as a Consulting producer for the first two episodes of the spin-off gilland also produced and pinned episodes of Welcome to New York That 70s Show downwardly mobile my boys and Mr Sunshine a shortlived sitcom starring late friends Alan Matthew Perry he also created the short-lived ABC sitcom that's life following a blue collar Queen's family it was canceled a month after its 1998 debut his additional writing credits include women in prison nurses livein living dolls married people and doogie Houser MD he was also nominated for a Daytime Emmy in 2019 for his work on Netflix's historical sketch comedy series The Who was show