Johnny Hardwick, who voiced the conspiracy-minded character Dale Gribble on King of the Hill, died August 8 at his home in Austin, Texas. He was 64.
Hardwick and his character with the distinctive Texas drawl had been with the Emmy-winning animated series since its debut in 1997 through its final episode on Fox in 2010. Earlier this year, Hulu, where the reruns currently stream, announced that Hardwick would return for the series’ streaming revival.
The actor’s death was confirmed by the Austin coroner’s office.
No foul play is suspected, and a cause of death is pending per the coroner’s investigation.
King of the Hill, created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, is set in the fictional town of Arlen, Texas, and follows the life of Hank Hill (Judge), wife Peggy (Kathy Najimy) and teenaged son Bobby (Pamela Adlon). Other voice actors on the series are Stephen Root, Lauren Tom and Ashley Gardner.
Born John Michael Hardwick in Austin, the actor got his start in local stand-up comedy in 1990. He’d eventually make appearances on The Jon Stewart Show and at L.A.’s The Laugh Factory and the Montreal Comedy Festival.
Hardwick was credited as a producer King of the Hill episodes during the early Fox seasons. Since the original run of King of the Hill ended, Hardwick had launched his own popular YouTube channel.
The Hulu revival from 20th Television Animation was announced last January, with Judge and Daniels returning to exec produce. Saladin Patterson will join the production as an executive producer and showrunner.
Deadline has reached out to Hulu for comment.