Parks and Rec Producer Dies Days Before Finale

Harris Wittels, who worked as a writer and executive producer on the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation, was found dead yesterday of a possible drug overdose at his Los Angeles home, police say. He was 30. Wittels, who was found by his assistant, talked about his struggles with drug abuse in a podcast last fall. He also made occasional acting appearances on Parks and Recreation, and his death comes just a few days before the Feb. 24 series finale of the seven-season comedy starring Amy Poehler.

Poehler paid tribute to Wittels last night when she was honored by Variety magazine at its unite4:humanity event, where she told the crowd, "I don't really feel like telling any jokes. Today, I lost a friend. I lost a dear, young friend in my life who was struggling with addiction." Wittels also performed stand-up comedy and wrote for other TV shows, including The Sarah Silverman Program and Eastbound & Down. He popularized the term "humblebrag" with his Twitter account of the same name, which eventually became the book Humblebrag: The Art of False Modesty. (More Parks and Recreation stories.)