Kevin Bleyer, an Emmy-winning writer on The Daily Show who also wrote speeches for former President Barack Obama, died in a car crash on Sunday, October 25. He was 54.
Bleyer died while driving on a rural road in Millrift, Pennsylvania, where he had a home, his family confirmed on October 27. No one else was injured in the crash, USA Today reported.
His wife, Nella Vera, said in a statement that Bleyer spent his life finding the perfect words to make people laugh, think and see the world a little differently.
Bleyer joined The Daily Show in 2005 and wrote for the Jon Stewart-hosted show until 2013, winning four Emmy Awards in 2006, 2009, 2011 and 2012. He wrote speeches for Obama, including addresses for the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, and later served as deputy chief speechwriter for New York Mayor Bill de Blasio.
His career began in television on Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, and he went on to write for Dennis Miller’s show, Disney+’s The Right Stuff and Fox’s Sleepy Hollow. He co-authored Earth: The Book and wrote Me the People, a comic account of his quest to rewrite the US Constitution.
Actor and writer Danny Strong called Bleyer “a writer’s writer” in a tribute, praising a talent that ranged from late-night comedy to Obama’s dinner speeches to scripted drama.
Source: USA Today
