Comedian, actor, “Humblebrag” creator and Parks and Rec writer/producer Harris Wittels died yesterday according to multiple sources.
TMZ first reported that Harris Wittels, 30-year-old writer and producer on Parks and Recreation, was pronounced dead Thursday at 1 p.m. PT after being found unconscious in his home. Drug paraphernalia was discovered in his house.
Wittels spoke openly about his drug abuse issues in the past, including as recently as a stand up show at The Meltdown on Wednesday and more in-depth during a November 19, 2014 episode of Pete Holmes’ You Made it Weird podcast.
Wittels got his start as a writer on The Sarah Silverman Program. When the show ended, he joined Parks and Rec as a staff writer for the show’s second season when he was only 25. He was credited for writing episodes such as “Media Blitz,” “Women in Garbage,” and “Ron and Jammy.” After season two, he was upgraded to producer. He also occasionally appeared on the show as a spacey Animal Control employee.
Wittels was also known for his consistent appearances on podcasts like Comedy Bang Bang and Analyze Phish, in which he tried to convince host Scott Aukerman that Phish is actually a good bad. In 2011, he coined the phrase “Humblebrag,” which refers to someone subtly bragging on social media in a way that attempts to mask their own vanity. He would later create a twitter account dedicated to humblebrags and even write a coffee table book on the subject.
The news of Wittel’s passing casts a sad pall over Parks and Rec‘s final episodes this upcoming Tuesday. Thursday night his Parks and Rec co-workers and comedy peers shared their reactions.
I love you Harebear. pic.twitter.com/nbJm9AaOla
— Kulap Vilaysack (@Kulap) February 20, 2015
He was my baby. I just keep thinking of superman flying backwards around the earth. I wish I could do that. I'm so mad at you Harris
— Sarah Silverman (@SarahKSilverman) February 20, 2015
Don't know what to say. Harris Wittels was a fantastic writer I had the pleasure to work with at Parks and Rec. So so sad. RIP Harris.
— billy eichner (@billyeichner) February 20, 2015
Such heartbreaking news about Harris Wittels. A really funny guy.
— Seth Meyers (@sethmeyers) February 20, 2015
Very sad to learn about the death of Harris Wittels. He was extremely talented and, more importantly, a really nice person.
— Lauren Lapkus (@laurenlapkus) February 20, 2015
RIP Harris Wittels.
— Kumail Nanjiani (@kumailn) February 20, 2015
I don't want dead friends' numbers on my phone and dead friends' faces in my feed. But you rarely get what you want. #RIPHarrisWittels
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) February 20, 2015
"we're all trying to avoid thinking about death, that's why we get excited about these stupid, human interactions." – Harris last night
— Steve Agee (@steveagee) February 20, 2015
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