Los Angeles [US]: Alan Sacks, co-creator of the popular 1970s sitcom ‘Welcome Back, Kotter’, passed away at the age of 81.
Sacks died on Tuesday in New York due to complications from lymphoma, his wife, talent agent Annette van Duren told The Hollywood Reporter.
He had been battling the disease for 22 years, with periods of remission before it returned.
Sacks, born in Brooklyn on December 9, 1942, teamed up with comedian Gabe Kaplan to create ‘Welcome Back, Kotter’, a hit show on ABC that ran from 1975 to 1979. The show starred Kaplan as teacher Gabe Kotter, guiding a group of troublemaking high school students known as the “Sweathogs.” The cast included John Travolta as Vinnie Barbarino, one of the characters that helped launch Travolta’s career. The show aired for four seasons and 95 episodes and became a major part of 1970s television culture.
Before his success with the hit show, Sacks began his career at ABC in the research department and later moved to Los Angeles, where he worked as a program executive. He also served as a producer on Chico and the Man, a popular show in the mid-1970s.
In the 1980s, Sacks directed Du-Beat-e-o (1984), a film set in the L.A. punk scene, featuring footage of the band The Runaways and starring Joan Jett. He followed this with Thrashin’ (1986), a skateboarding movie featuring a musical performance by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, their first appearance in a film.
Sacks later became involved with the Disney Channel, where he produced popular projects such as Smart House (1999) and the award-winning The Color of Friendship (2000). He also executive produced Camp Rock (2008) and its sequel, Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam (2010), which featured Demi Lovato and the Jonas Brothers.
Apart from working in television and film, Sacks was also a professor at Los Angeles Valley College, where he taught film, TV, and broadcasting until his retirement in 2007. His last project was a podcast, Peter & the Acid King, which investigated the unsolved 1984 murder of his friend Peter Ivers.
Alan Sacks is survived by his wife of 34 years, Annette van Duren, his daughters Samantha and Shannon, his son Austin, and his sister Jodi.