Seinfeld producer George Shapiro has passed away at the age of 91 as tributes pour in.
George died of natural causes at his home in Beverly Hills on Thursday (May 26) a publicist announced – no further details have been shared.
He was a manager to a host of Hollywood stars including Andy Kaufman, Jerry Seinfeld and Carl Reiner.
As well as Seinfeld, other shows’ he was involved with included The Steve Allen Show, That Girl and Gomer Pyle.
More recently, George served as executive producer of the Crackle/Netflix series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, hosted by Jerry Seinfeld.
As well as running his own talent company and managing a number of big names, George was well known for being producer on hit TV shows.
(Image: WireImage)
Shapiro also managed the star comic and produced a number of his standup specials including the likes of Jerry Before Seinfeld and 23 Hours to Kill.
His last production was The Super Bob Einstein Movie which was released on HBO last year.
Following the news of his death, stars and fans alike took to social media to share messages of condolence.
Among those was veteran producer Norman Lear, who wrote on Twitter: “One of the dearest people I have ever known, George Shapiro, just passed.
“I bless our friendship and, at 99, I’m sure I’ll see him relatively soon.”
(Image: WireImage)
Another user also tweeted: “It can’t be overstated what a mark this guy made in cultivating comedy.
“You saw the ‘Shapiro/West’ vanity card on something and you knew you were getting the real “goods”… Man, we’re losing them at a rate of knots lately huh?”
And another wrote: “RIP to George Shapiro, who started in the mail room at William Morris and went on to Manage Carl Reiner, Jerry Seinfeld and Andy Kaufmann. He was also an Executive Producer of Seinfeld.”
(Image: Getty Images)
The 2019 documentary The Bronx, USA followed George as he returned to his hometown, revisiting the streets, stores and memories of his youth and reflecting on the close friendships he made there.
“Laughter is incredible, it’s powerful,” he often said.
Shapiro is survived by lifelong friend and mother to his kids, Melody, his son Danny, daughters Carrie and Stefanie and his five grandchildren.
A memorial service will be announced.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
