According to The Hollywood Reporter, Alan Sacks, who helped create the popular 1970s ABC sitcom Welcome, Back, Kotter, has passed away at the age of 81.
Sacks passed away on Tuesday in New York due to complications related to lymphoma, as confirmed by his wife, talent agent Annette van Duren. He received his initial diagnosis 22 years ago and had several years of remission before the cancer reemerged.
Sacks, who was born in Brooklyn on December 9, 1942, obtained a master's degree in broadcasting from Brooklyn College. His initial foray into the entertainment industry began in the research department at ABC. In 1969, he relocated to Los Angeles, where he served as a program executive for the network.
In 1974 and 1975, Sacks held the positions of producer and production executive for NBC's Chico and the Man, a series featuring Freddie Prinze, which was developed by James Komack, the executive producer of Kotter. He went on to produce a number of made-for television films, such as Women at West Point, A Cry for Love, Twirl, and Rosie: The Rosemary Clooney Story, which starred Sondra Locke.
In the 1980s, following a project with the renowned L.A. band The Runaways, Sacks utilized the existing footage to craft a narrative centered on a director racing against time to complete a film featuring Runaways member Joan Jett. The film Du-Beat-e-o, which he directed, was set against the lively hardcore punk backdrop of Los Angeles and featured Ray Sharkey alongside Derf Scratch from the punk band Fear. He was also the writer and producer of the skateboarding film Thrashin’ in 1986, featuring Josh Brolin, Robert Rusler, and Pamela Gidley, and notable for including a musical performance by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, marking their debut in a film.
In 1991, Sacks developed and produced the Saturday morning children's program Riders in the Sky for CBS, which featured the comedic Western band of the same name and took the place of Pee-wee’s Playhouse, hosted by Paul Reubens.
He then transitioned to film production for the Disney Channel, beginning with Smart House in 1999, followed by the critically acclaimed The Color of Friendship in 2000, which received accolades from both the Humanitas organization and the NAACP. Sacks served as the executive producer for Camp Rock in 2008 and its sequel, Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam, in 2010, both featuring Demi Lovato and the Jonas Brothers, and collaborated on various other projects with the Jonas Brothers while working with their production company.
Sacks' final project was the podcast Peter & the Acid King, which delved into the unsolved murder of his friend Peter Ivers, a notable figure in the Los Angeles punk scene, which took place in 1984. To uncover the truth surrounding Ivers' death, he interviewed more than 70 people.
Survivors include his wife of 34 years, along with his daughters, Samantha and Shannon, his son, Austin, and his sister, Jodi.