Parks and Recreation
2009
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The Parks and Recreation co-executive producer and comedian was found dead of a possible overdose at 30. He struggled with addiction and was candid about his recovery in his standup and podcasts.
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Harris Wittels, a writer and executive producer for “Parks and Recreation,” died on Thursday, a law enforcement source confirmed to NBC News. He was 30.
Police found drug paraphernalia at his home. Wittels had spoken publicly about his two stints in rehab, including an in-depth account of doing drugs and his struggles with his recent sobriety in a November appearance on the podcast "You Made It Weird." A toxicology report is expected to take six to eight weeks.
Wittels, who appeared several times on "Parks and Recreation" as a former employee of the Pawnee Animal Control Department, also wrote for the shows "Eastbound and Down" and "The Sarah Silverman Program."
He performed stand-up comedy and was a member of the band Don’t Stop or We’ll Die along with fellow comedians Paul Rust and Michael Cassady. Wittels was also known for numerous appearances on popular comedy podcast "Comedy Bang! Bang!" as well as hosting his own infrequent podcast, "Analyze Phish," in which he discussed the music of the band Phish and spoke openly about using drugs at their concerts.
— Andrew Blankstein and Jillian Sederholm
- NBC Universal
Feb 20, 2015 · Harris Wittels, a producer and writer for the NBC sitcom “Parks and Recreation” who also performed as a stand-up comic and musician, died on Thursday. He was 30. A spokesman for the Los Angeles...
Harris Wittels died Thursday. He was a stand-up comic, a television writer/producer, a musician, a frequent and dependably hilarious guest on comedy podcasts, and an author who unleashed the...
Feb 20, 2015 · February 20, 20156:35 AM ET. Heard on Morning Edition. 29-Second Listen. Playlist. Harris Wittels was found dead in his Los Angeles home on Thursday. He was the executive producer of the NBC...
Feb 20, 2015 · Wittels died Thursday at his home from what's reported to be an apparent overdose. A huge part of his appeal as a comic was his naked honesty, and Wittels openly discussed his problems with...
Feb 24, 2015 · The loss of Parks and Recreation co-executive producer Harris Wittels — discovered dead at age 30 in his Los Feliz home Feb. 19 after a suspected heroin overdose — has sent shock waves through...
