'They Always Take the Best': 'Roseanne' Star Michael Fishman Reacts to Death of Eric Gilliland

Gilliland, who worked as a producer and writer on 'Roseanne,' passed away on Sept. 1 from colon cancer.

By Megan Behnke

Michael Fishman is the latest actor to mourn Eric Gilliland. The Roseanne producer and writer passed away on Sunday from colon cancer, and he has already received a lot of love and tributes from actors and creatives in Hollywood. Ryan Reynolds paid tribute to his friend of 27 years, and Fishman hopped on the bandwagon to share his own short but sweet message. Having portrayed D.J. Connor on Roseanne and spent much time with Gilliland, Fishman took to Instagram to honor the producer and writer.

"Heaven got another great writer," Fishman wrote. "They always take the best. I know they're laughing hard. Endless dry wit and an encyclopedia of knowledge, Eric Gilliland is unforgettable." While Gilliland only worked on Roseanne from Seasons 5-8, he did return for the spinoff The Conners, serving as a consulting producer on two episodes of Season 2 in 2019.

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(Photo:

Official promotional still for Roseanne

- ABC)

Gilliland's sister confirmed his death to Variety, he was just 62. Aside from Roseanne and The Conners, Gilliland worked on shows such as The Who Was? Show, Mr. Sunshine, My Boys, That's Life, That '70s Show, Doogie Howser, M.D., The Wonder Years, Living Dolls, Who's the Boss? and much more throughout his career. It seems he has created many friendships over the years, and it wasn't just work relationships.

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The Conners actually ended up being the last TV series Eric Gilliland worked on, making the tribute all the more special. He hadn't worked since the podcast series The Cinnamon Bear: A Holiday Adventure in 2021, but according to IMDb, he was working on new series Elna, which was in early development. As of now, it's unknown what the status of the show is and if it will still be moving forward.

It's a shame that Gilliland wasn't able to work on The Conners more before he passed, but at least he was able to work on two episodes, which was better than nothing. At the very least, he seems to have made some great friendships from Roseanne and The Conners that will last a lifetime. Michael Fishman left The Conners in 2022 after four seasons, with his only other project since then being the Lifetime movie Abducted By My Teacher: The Elizabeth Thomas Story in 2023. 

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