Voice actor and comedian Johnny Hardwick—best known for providing the voice of Dale Gribble on King of the Hill—has died aged 64, according to TMZ.
As the outlet reports, law enforcement sources said they were called for a welfare check at Hardwick's home in Texas on Tuesday, August 8, and found his body. He was pronounced dead at the scene. His cause of death has not been announced. Deadline confirmed the news with the Austin coroner's office.
Hardwick portrayed fan favorite Dale Gribble on all 13 seasons of King of the Hill. He also served as a producer, staff writer, and story editor on the Mike Judge and Greg Daniels-created series. King of the Hill came to an end in 2010, but Hulu announced plans for a revival earlier this year. In the announcement, Hardwick was confirmed to be returning alongside Judge, Kathy Najimy, Stephen Root, Pamela Adlon, and Lauren Tom.
Before his work on King of the Hill, Hardwick got his start in stand-up comedy in 1990. He later made appearances on The Jon Stewart Show and An Evening at the Improv. He also performed at The Laugh Factory and the Montreal Comedy Festival.
It's unclear if Hardwick will still appear in the Hulu revival of King of the Hill, but he's not the only major cast member to have died since the end of the original run. Brittany Murphy played Luanne Platter in the show up until her death in 2009 at age 32, but she also played various other minor characters and Joseph Gribble before Breckin Meyer took over the role in 2000. Tom Petty, who died in 2017 from an accidental overdose at age 66, portrayed the recurring character Lucky. The show's creators have yet to explain how their respective characters will be addressed in the new season.
In an interview with ScreenRant in April, Root suggested that table reads with the returning cast took place that same month. "I think we're going to time jump in this a little bit so that Bobby's going to be older, and it's going to be interesting," he shared. "We're starting table reads in April, so I'm so looking forward to it."
