The Murder of Phil Hartman

On May 28, 1998, Canadian-born American actor Phil Hartman was shot and killed by his abusive wife Brynn Hartman. He was best known as Captain Carl on mh:besttvshows:Pee-Wee's Playhouse, Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz on mh:besttvshows:The Simpsons, and Bill McNeal on NewsRadio, while he also starred on mh:besttvshows:Saturday Night Live from 1986 to 1994. After he was killed, his kids called the police to arrest their mother. As the police arrived, she went up to her room and committed suicide.

Following Hartman's death, his characters Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz were retired on The Simpsons, meaning they were reduced to silent cameo appearances, while his NewsRadio character, Bill McNeal, was killed off.

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-sxAdtbgmrI WABC-TV's report on the incident