Deadline has reported that David Jacobs (Paradise, Bodies of Evidence), creator of hit 1980s primetime soaps Dallas and Knots Landing, died at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank of Alzheimer’s complications on August 20, according to his son, Aaron Jacobs. Jacobs was also nominated for two Emmy awards for Homefront.
Aaron Jacobs told Deadline, “He had Alzheimer’s for many years, and recently he had recurring infections that led to his death.”
Jacobs was born in Baltimore on August 12, 1939 and began writing nonfiction books and magazine articles before he starting writing television. He has written for series including Family, The Blue Knight, and Chicago Story. He later created Dallas and its spinoff series, Knots Landing.
Dallas debuted on CBS on April 2, 1978 and finished its run on May 3, 1991. It starred Larry Hagman (I Dream of Jeannie, Knots Landing), Patrick Duffy (You Again, Step by Step), Linda Gray (Perfect Match, Models Inc.), Steve Kanaly (The Wind and the Lion, The Sugarland Express), Ken Kercheval (The Seven-Ups, Calamity Jane), Victoria Principal (Earthquake, Dancing in the Dark), Charlene Tilton (Road Less Traveled, #1 Cheerleader Camp), Barbara Bel Geddes (The Long Night, The Five Pennies), Susan Howard Chrane (The Power Within, Moonshine County Express), and Jim Davis (Stories of the Century, Rescue 8).
Knots Landing debuted on CBS on December 27, 1979 and finished on May 13, 1993. The series starred Michele Lee (The Love Bug, The Comic), Joan Van Ark (The Last Dinosaur, Frogs), Donna Mills (12 Gifts of Christmas, Dangerous Intentions), Ted Shackelford (Space Precinct, Baby of the Bride), Kevin Dobson (Kojak, She’s No Angel), William Devane (Marathon Man, Space Cowboys), Constance McCashin (Love on the Run, Super Password), Teri Austin (Raising Cane, Dangerous Love), Kim Lankford (Malibu Beach, Cameron’s Closet), and Tonya Crowe (Dark Night of the Scarecrow, The Memory of Eva Ryker).
Jacobs also created, produced, and wrote for several other series in the ’80s and ’90s, including Lace, Bodies of Evidence, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Paradise, and Four Corners.