Producer created Family Ties
Michael J. Fox praises ‘mentor’ who also helmed Spin City
NEW YORK — Gary David Goldberg, who created the 1980s sitcom hit Family Ties and expanded into feature films, has died.
Goldberg died of brain cancer in Montecito, Calif., on Saturday, days before his 69th birthday, The New York Times reported.
Goldberg’s TV successes also included the ABC comedy Spin City, which in 1996-2002 reunited him with Family Ties breakout star Michael J. Fox as the deputy mayor of New York City.
“With a full heart I say goodbye to my mentor, benefactor, partner, second father and beloved friend,” Fox said Monday. “He touched so many with his enormous talent and generous spirit. He changed my life profoundly.”
A more modest hit for Goldberg yet much-acclaimed, the CBS show Brooklyn Bridge (1991-93) was a tender comedy based on his experiences growing up in Brooklyn, N.Y. Marion Ross starred as a character inspired by his grandmother.
Goldberg’s films included Dad (1989), starring Jack Lemmon and Ted Danson, as well as Bye Bye Love (1995) and Must Love Dogs (2005), which he wrote as well as directed.
Goldberg began his TV career in the 1970s as a writer for series including The Bob Newhart Show, and was a producer of Lou Grant.
In 1982, Family Ties premièred on NBC, introducing Michael J. Fox as a business-loving Young Republican son of left-wing baby boomers who were former hippies. “Basically, those parents are me and Diana,” Goldberg once said, referring to his wife, Diana Meehan, who survives him.
The series became a huge hit, making Fox a star. During his career, Goldberg won two Emmy awards, two Golden Globes and a Peabody award.