William Link, a writer and producer known for co-creating “Columbo” and “Murder, She Wrote,” died of congestive heart failure in Los Angeles on Sunday, his niece confirmed to Variety. He was 87.
Over the course of Link’s decades-long television career, he became known for working alongside screenwriter and producer Richard Levinson. The duo collaborated on a number of projects, including both “Columbo” and “Murder, She Wrote.”
Link’s first-ever writing credit came in 1959 when he worked on the story for an episode of “Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse.” That same year he also contributed to five other series. This work ethic would foreshadow the rest of his career, as Link would go on to lend his writing skills to over 70 shows and movies over the next 50 years.
But the writer only started down the path to television success after first using his talents in print. Prior to serving in the U.S. Army from 1956 to 1958, Link and Levinson — who died in 1987 — published a mystery-themed story entitled “Whistle While You Work” in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine.
Link spent years crafting narratives for TV audiences, but he also began producing shortly before the 1970s. The television hit “Columbo” first aired in 1971, with both Link and Levinson at the helm. Under Link’s watch, the series, which he co-created, produced and wrote for, remained in production until 2003.
Link and Levinson struck upon another long-lasting concept with their collaborative creation of “Murder, She Wrote.” The show lasted from 1984 to 1996, and the TV movie “Murder, She Wrote: South by Southwest” aired in 1997. Starring Angela Lansbury, the series centered around a novelist who solved murder mysteries. It also challenged concepts for what audiences would tune into, as it lacked factors that networks often looked to when approving shows: sex and heightened violence.
The screenwriter’s work earned him two Emmy award wins and nine other Emmy nominations. He shared both awards with Levinson, and the duo were inducted into the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame in 1994 — a posthumous honor for Levinson.
The writer’s final credit came for the “Where Do the Balloons Go?” short in 2009, capping off a lengthy and fruitful career.
Link is survived by his wife Margery Nelson, his grandchildren Anabelle Robertson, Bennett Nieberg, Fin Nieberg and Levi Nieberg, and his nieces and nephews Amy Salko Robertson and John Robertson, Karen Salko Nieberg and Owen Nieberg.