Overview
- His brother David Friendly said he died Sunday at home in Bel-Air at age 74, and no cause of death was disclosed.
- He launched Entertainment Tonight as its first producer in 1981 and received an Emmy nomination in 1982.
- As CNBC’s vice president of primetime programs from 1990 to 1995, he oversaw talk shows for Tom Snyder, Tim Russert and Geraldo Rivera, drawing tribute from David Zaslav.
- He later led programming and production at King World from 1995 to 2001, guiding first-run syndication that included Oprah Winfrey, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!.
- He also headed the Hollywood Radio & Television Society, taught at USC and served on boards for the USC Shoah Foundation and Saban Community Clinic; survivors include his mother, Ruth, and several siblings, and his wife Patricia Crowley died in September at 91.