Producer Eric Preven died at 62 on November 8 in Studio City of an apparent heart attack, per Deadline. According to the outlet, Preven was "a writer-producer on the sitcom Reba who produced hundreds of episodes of the daytime drama Santa Barbara." He also was a journalist in Los Angeles.
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Conformation of the sad news came per Deadline via City Watch L.A. as follows. "It is with deep sorrow that we at CityWatch LA announce the passing of our longtime contributor, Eric Preven, who died suddenly on Saturday of an apparent heart attack."
Preven Worked on a Number of TV Shows
Preven broke into television by working on a number of shows, mainly in the 1990s,. Among them were Partners, which aired on Fox, NBC's Boston Common, and Something So Right, which started out on NBC and then was broadcast on ABC. He also helped craft another show, Holding the Baby. Preven wrote for a Ryan Murphy vehicle on the WB, Popular. He authored several episodes and did some producing. His stint there lasted from 1999 to 2001.
He Was Involved With the Sitcom 'Reba'
Preven came aboard the sitcom, which starred country music icon Reba McEntire, as a consulting producer, per the outlet. That was in 2002, during the show's first season. "He was upped to supervising producer for Season 2 and also wrote a pair of episodes before leaving the show in 2003."
Civic Activism Meant a Lot to Him
He left his mark by becoming involved with causes and issues he cared about. They reportedly included municipal reform, spending, homelessness, and transparency. He made a bid to be mayor of Los Angeles eight years ago. Writing of his death, the Los Angeles Times referred to Preven as 'a relentless citizen watchdog." The outlet further called him "a reliable thorn in the side of his government."
"He could be irascible. When he came and encountered the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, it became a really good use of that stubbornness," said Preven's brother, Joshua.
Per the Times, Supervisor Janice Hahn characterized Preven's civic role. He seemed to value accountability. "Eric Preven never let those with power in government forget who we work for. ... He pushed us, he challenged us, and he had an opinion on everything — from the biggest issue of the day to the more routine contract votes that too often go overlooked. While some people wrote him off, I thought there was always truth in what he had to say."
