Bob Brunner, a writer and producer on HAPPY DAYS who both named Fonzie and also reportedly suggested that the character jump the shark, has died, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He was 78.Brunner died of a heart attack on Oct. 28 near his home in Northridge, California.
Brunner got his start in the entertainment industry as a publicist in the early 1960s when he worked with Tony Bennett and Louis Armstrong. He then transitioned to TV writing for THE ODD COUPLE, executive-produced by his childhood friend Garry Marshall. The two frequently worked together, next when Brunner wrote for LAVERNE & SHIRLEY and then when he wrote 15 episodes and produced 37 episodes of HAPPY DAYS.