Overview
- Yarnell died Jan. 28 at his Los Angeles home at age 96, according to his wife, CAA agent Toni Howard, who did not disclose a cause.
- He created the weekly Firing Line with William F. Buckley, produced radio broadcasts of early Muhammad Ali fights, and worked with David Frost before moving into television.
- Yarnell launched ABC’s In Concert in 1972, which evolved into Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert and featured acts such as The Rolling Stones, Queen and Black Sabbath over 180 shows.
- His credits span NBC’s Candid Camera specials, ABC’s That’s Incredible and Love, American Style, an Emmy-nominated 11-year run producing Joe Bob Briggs’ TNT programs, and the CBS film Deep in My Heart, which earned Anne Bancroft an Emmy.
- He founded DY Productions to make documentaries including PBS’s Billy Wilder: The Human Comedy, produced TNT’s AFI 100 Years series, and with Howard established a Cooper Union merit award supporting emerging creatives.