10 - MARRIED... WITH CHILDREN CREATOR DIES

MARRIED... WITH CHILDREN creator RON LEAVITT has died of lung cancer. He was 60. The writer/producer passed away at his home in Sherman Oaks, California on Sunday (10Feb08). Married... With Children star Ed O'Neill says, "He had a very original way of thinking in terms of comedy. He was a brilliant comedic writer." Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1947, Leavitt graduated with a degree in journalism from the University Of Miami and started his career as a reported in Florida. In 1977, he started to write for the Adam Arkin TV sitcom Busting Loose. Leavitt went on to produce shows including Laverne + Shirley, The Jeffersons and Silver Spoons. But he will be best remembered for creating Married... With Children in 1987. The show, about a misanthropic salesman and his family life at home, ran for 10 years.