Dusty Kay Dies: ‘Entourage’, ‘Roseanne’ Writer-Producer Was 69

Greg Evans
·2 min read
Dusty Kay Dies: ‘Entourage’, ‘Roseanne’ Writer-Producer Was 69
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Dusty Kay, a writer and Emmy-nominated producer whose credits include Entourage, Roseanne and Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, died April 10 in Summerlin, Nevada, following a brief illness. He was 69.

His death was announced today by his friend and collaborator Bill Nuss. A cause of death was not specified.

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Born Eugene L. Kay, in the Bronx, New York, Kay created the short-lived 1987 ABC series Once a Hero, about a comic book hero who crosses over to the real world but loses his superpowers in the transition. The series starred Robert Forster, Milo O’Shea, Caitlin Clarke, and Jeff Lester.

Kay also wrote and produced the TV films Triplecross (1986), starring Ted Wass, and Markie Post, Mick and Frankie, starring Ed Marinaro, Robert Firth and Robert Forster, and Cutty Whitman (1996) starring James Remar, and Richard Libertini.

Other writing credits include Good Times, James at 16, Eight is Enough, Early Edition, and The Twilight Zone (2002).

Kay also acted on occasion, appearing in the feature films Hacks (John Ritter, Richard Kind, Bob Odenkirk, Lisa Kudrow) and Gun Shy (Sandra Bullock, Liam Neeson, Oliver Platt).

While attending Northwestern University, where he took on the name Dusty in honor of his favorite actor Dustin Hoffman, Kay along with Nuss developed The Mee-Ow Show, the long-running (50 years) college improv show. It served as a breeding ground for scores of writers, directors, creators, showrunners and actors including Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Ana Gasteyer, and Seth Meyers. He was celebrated for that achievement last month at Northwestern.

In 2017, Kay, along with Nuss, authored the book for the musical The Honeymooners.

Kay is survived by cousins Ira and Laura Behr, Sheri Behr, Bernard and Felicia Rosen, and second cousins, Roxanne Behr, Jesse Behr, and Jenna Rosen. Donations can be made to Chabad of Westwood in his honor.

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