JERRY BELSON - COMEDY WRITER BELSON DIES

Emmy-winning comedy writer JERRY BELSON, famed for his work on THE TRACEY ULLMAN SHOW and THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW, has died of cancer. He was 68. The much-loved "writer's writer" passed away at his Los Angeles home on Tuesday (10OCT06), according to his writing partner, THE PRINCESS DIARIES director GARRY MARSHALL. Belson won three Emmy awards for his work with comedienne TRACEY ULLMAN, and was nominated for a further 17 Emmys in his career. Marshall says, "He was so bright and so witty with not a very erudite background. In one of our first meetings, I said to him, 'Write it like you would a play.' He said, 'I never saw a play.' He wasn't from Harvard. He was from El Centro." Belson married his actress wife JO ANN in 1976, and the couple had three children: KRISTINE, JULIE and WILLI. He is survived by his Jo Ann and his children, his sister, screenwriter-novelist MONICA JOHNSON, a brother, radio personality GORDON BELSON, and two grandchildren.