Roseanne Actor Martin Mull Dead at 80
Hollywood is saying farewell to a beloved actor.
Martin Mull—known for playing Leon Carp on Roseanne and Colonel Mustard in Clue—died on June 27, his daughter Maggie Mull shared on Instagram. He was 80.
"I am heartbroken to share that my father passed away at home on June 27th, after a valiant fight against a long illness," she wrote June 28. "He was known for excelling at every creative discipline imaginable and also for doing Red Roof Inn commercials. He would find that joke funny. He was never not funny."
But humor aside, Maggie—who Martin welcomed with his third wife Wendy Haas—went on to share the incredible impact he had on those he loved.
"My dad will be deeply missed by his wife and daughter, by his friends and coworkers, by fellow artists and comedians and musicians," she continued, "and—the sign of a truly exceptional person—by many, many dogs. I loved him tremendously."
The Emmy-nominated star was also mourned by several of his former television colleagues, including fellow Roseanne alum Michael Fishman.
“Martin Mull is a legend," he wrote on Instagram. "He was a tremendous talent, who was always funny. As amazing as he was on camera, he was even more incredible off. The world was better with him in it. Perhaps the other side needed more laughter.”
Martin—who held two degrees in painting from the Rhode Island School of Design—got his start in the music industry before making his way to the screen.
"I was on the road for about 15 years or a little longer actually," he told Smashing in 2018. "I just got to where the road giveth and the road taketh away."
Eventually, Martin and keyboard player Wendy—who he wed in 1982 following divorces from Kristin Johnson and Sandra Baker—decided to take a break and start a family. As he put it, "So the band broke up, but the band stayed together because the band was me and my wife."
In fact, Martin's heart had long remained in a different field.
"The painting has always been number one for me," he added. "It’s been the most important thing I do because it’s personal, you know."
In addition to acting in films in the '80s and '90s, Martin also made appearances on Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Arrested Development and Two and a Half Men later in his career.
And according to Sabrina star Melissa Joan Hart, he had a larger-than-life presence playing Principal Kraft on the '90s show.
"I have such fond memories of working with him and being in awe of his huge body of work," Melissa shared on social media in the wake of his passing. "He once told me that he takes every job he's offered just in case the train comes to an end, which in this business tends to halt quickly. But he was an artist who liked to paint and build things with his hands, a musician and a wonderful man who i am better for knowing."
She noted that she has pieces of his artwork displayed in her home, which she'll cherish all the more.
"He will be missed but this world has benefited from his being here," the actress added. "My deepest sympathies to his family and friends."
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