Gordon Bressack, Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain writer, dead at 68

The prolific cartoon writer Gordon Bressack has died at the age of 68 after a long struggle with his health. His passing was announced on Friday evening by his son, James Cullen Bressack, in an Instagram post (via Variety). Bressack and his son recently collaborated on the animated film CarGo back in 2017.

To call Bressack prolific might even be a bit of an understatement, as his resume reads like a rundown of almost every piece of influential animated series of the past few decades. He got his start writing for the underwater cartoon The Snorks in 1984, and his career took him to write adventures for The Smurfs, Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, and the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series.

His work on Pinky and the Brain would earn him two Daytime Emmys in 1996 and 1999, eventually winning a third for Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain in 2000. There was also his own original creation, Captain Simian and the Space Monkeys, which lasted 10 episodes from 1996-1997.

Along with his heartfelt goodbye, Bressack's son encouraged fans of his dad's work to enjoy what he created and help his legacy live on.

"For those of you reading my dad loved to make people laugh, and I'm very grateful his legacy lives on through the many many cartoons he wrote and made," read the caption, in part. "If you like cartoons watch an episode of pinky and the brain or Animaniacs and have a laugh in his honor. I know it's what he would want."

Along with his son, James, Bressack is survived by his daughters, Jackie and Samantha; his grandchild, Logan; and siblings Margi, Celia, and Roger.