The co-creator of the popular TV series “Columbo” and “Murder, She Wrote” has died
LOS ANGELES – William Link, co-author of the acclaimed series “Columbo” and “Murder, She Wrote” and made TV films from the 1970s and 80s on social issues which were then deeply shaken by television, has died. He was 87.
Link died of congestive heart failure Sunday in Los Angeles, his wife of more than 40-year-old Margery Nelson said in a statement Tuesday.
The family helped Link celebrate his Dec. 15 birthday by playing YouTube videos of interviews in which he outlined his long career, said his daughter, Amy Salko Robertson.
“He liked it. It was the best birthday present we could give him, ”she said.
“Columbo” was a key part of Link’s winning work. The series featured a brilliant, deceptive police detective created by himself and his longtime writing partner, Richard Levinson, for the 1960 TV anthology program.
The pair won Emmy writing for the series, with four acting awards going to star Peter Falk. He starred in the 1971-78 run “Columbo” on NBC and when the crime drama moved to ABC from 1989 to 2003 as occasional TV movies.
Link and Levinson, Philadelphia area natives who met as teenagers who loved secrecy and soon collaborated on storytelling and radio scripts, aiming to produce more than just fun, Salko Robertson said in an interview.
The fight for “justice and equality” was a key theme in their projects, she said – including “Columbo,” who tended to target the detective against criminals. rich and powerful.
The collaborators’ TV films included “My Sweet Charlie,” 1970, a rare small-screen shot of an Emmy-winning interracial romance, and “That Certain Summer” (1972), a groundbreaking for the delightful portrayal of gay characters.
Drums like those “didn’t get on TV, and they fought hard for them,” said Salko Robertson, a producer who handled business matters for her uncle.
Link, a veteran of the Army, and Levinson wrote and were active representatives for the Emmy-winning “The Execution of Private Slovik” (1974), about a World War II soldier who was executed for desertion from the Civil War.
“Murder, She Wrote,” with film and stage star Angela Lansbury as an amateur sleuth, was created by Link, Levinson and Peter S. Fischer. The series was a success for 12 seasons for CBS, broadcasting from 1984 to 1996.
Link and Levinson’s other series included the 1967-75 crime drama “Mannix” and “Tenafly,” 1973-74, an early performance by an African American protagonist, a private eye played by James McEachin.
The pair of screens for the 70s big screen films “The Hindenburg,” “Rollercoaster” and “The Hunter,” wrote in the 1980s among the last films of actor Steve McQueen.
After Levinson ‘s death in 1987, Link continued to write, introducing stories for Alfred Hitchcock’ s Mystery Magazine.
In addition to his wife and Salko Robertson, the survivors from Link include the daughters and brothers of John Robertson, Karen Salko Nieberg and Owen Nieberg.