David Kendall has died at the age of 68. The writer, producer, and director was perhaps best known for his work on the sitcom Boy Meets World. Actress Melissa Joan Hart stated that Kendall died of cancer in a tribute to the sitcom legend.
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His death was confirmed on Saturday, May 2, by the hosts of the podcast Pod Meets World: Rider Strong, Will Friedle, and Danielle Fishel.
David Kendall Was "Instrumental" to "Boy Meets World" and Many Young Stars
The three podcast hosts and stars of Boy Meets World wrote a touching tribute to Kendall on the show's Instagram page.
"To say that David Kendall was instrumental in the creation of Boy Meets World would be an understatement," they wrote in the caption. "He directed, wrote and executive produced our show, but also helped mold some of TV's most memorable sitcoms, from Growing Pains to Hannah Montana. In addition to helping develop Danielle, Will & Rider's young creative voices (both as a co-worker and later mentor), he worked with stars like Austin Butler, Zendaya, Miley Cyrus and the Jonas brothers in the early stages of their careers."
They added, "We are devastated to lose such an important person in our lives, both professionally and personally. We all kept in touch with David over the past 30 years, and are honored that we were able to share his incredible personality with our Pod Meets World listeners.
The trio concluded, "We have lost a vital piece of our family - but we ask that the next time you watch the show, especially Seasons 2 & 3 (when he served as Showrunner), you think of our beloved Kendall.
"We love you, David. Rest in peace. No notes."
Who Was David Kendall?
According to his IMDb page, Kendall was born on Oct. 2, 1957, in Philadelphia. His first credit was the G-rated comedy Luggage of the Gods! It followed two cavemen who assimilate into modern times after encountering a misplaced suitcase.
Before his work on Boy Meets World, he wrote 32 episodes of the hit Kirk Cameron sitcom Growing Pains. He also wrote an episode of its spinoff, Just the Ten of Us.
Following his work on Boy Meets World, Kendall occasionally ventured into feature films. He co-wrote the scripts for the 2002 teen comedy The New Guy and 2005's Dirty Deeds. His name later became a mainstay in credits for numerous tween comedies on Disney Channel and Nickelodeon. He directed episodes of iCarly, K.C. Undercover, Hannah Montana, and Zoey 101. He also created the sitcom Melissa & Joey, which starred Hart. which ran for four seasons.
