The comedy community lost a true talent this
week when Harris Wittels, executive producer of Parks and Recreation and creator of the iconic #Humblebrag, died of
a “possible overdose” at the age of 30. Wittels was found in his Los Angeles
home by his assistant on Thursday, the LAPD told CNN,
and since then his fellow comedians, like Sarah Silverman and Seth Meyers, have peppered social media with heartfelt tributes
to the multi-talented writer, who made no secret of his struggles with
addiction.
The latest truly touching remembrance comes from Parks and Rec
cast member Aziz Ansari, who took to Tumblr today to share a mix of
heartbreaking and hilarious remembrances, including tales of movie scripts that
never saw the (green) light of day (but were written with the likes of Channing
Tatum and Paul Giamatti in mind), the origin of the unforgettable Obama/Galifinakis
Funny or Die sketch, laugh-out-loud inter-office NBC emails and more.
“Bye Harris. I miss you and I’m glad I got to enjoy your
genuinely amazing and original presence. I wish I got to you know even more. I
hope people reading this realize what a incredibly unique man you were, and
what brutal a loss it is for those who knew you and also for those who never
had the pleasure. This has been so hard to write because I just keep wanting to
add more and more stories and more jokes and more everything, but I’d never be
able to finish it. You are far too special to sum up in any kind of piece like
this. You were one of the best and we all will miss you.”
“I didn't know him well but I thought he was a
particularly sweet guy. Super smart and hilarious but never arrogant or
cynical. He loved music almost as much as comedy, which was kind of where our
tiny bit of bonding started. And one of the best at one-liners in the game -
which made him stand out particularly in the early days of Twitter!”
“I admired Harris Wittels from afar in this really shy, dorky talent
crush way. He was younger than me but I looked up to him. I
wish I had gotten to know him. I think a lot of us feel that way.”
Harris was so funny. He could have the most devastating observation but say it in a sweet and boyish way. I will miss him.
— Mindy Kaling (@mindykaling) February 20, 2015The series finale of Parks and Rec, airing next
week, is now a bit more bittersweet, but we will enjoy our remaining time in
Pawnee, the fictional town The Atlantic calls “The Happiest Place on
Television,” while we still can. And we send our thanks to Wittels for being
part of the amazing team of people that brought us there. We are heartbroken over this news.