
KNOTS LANDING Creator David Jacob Dies at 84
By Movieguide® Contributor
David Jacobs, the creator of soap operas like KNOTS LANDING, DALLAS and PARADISE, died last Sunday at the age of 84.
Jacobs had battled several major health issues, including Alzheimer’s, but ultimately died of complications of a series of infections, The Hollywood Reporter revealed.
“He was very sick…not the right nourishment…all kinds of bad things with old age, so that fell apart,” Lynn Pleshette, his rep and ex-wife, shared. The pair were married for eight years and had one daughter named Albyn.
“Jacobs created the original soap opera DALLAS, which aired for 14 seasons from 1978 to 1991, and its reboot series of the same name that aired between 2012 and 2014. He was also the creator of the DALLAS spinoff series KNOTS LANDING which debuted in 1979 and ran for 14 seasons until 1993,” Variety reported.
“He had a great energy for creating work,” Pleshette told Fox News. “When we were married, he would work on manuscripts almost through the night. And when he came to Los Angeles, he had never written a script before. He just started…he had a real natural talent for it and creating characters. And then he created DALLAS.”
KNOTS LANDING star Donna Mills shared her condolences.
“I am proud to have worked with him, but equally proud to have known him,” she told Variety. “He was so highly respected, and so helpful, not only to me, but to everyone associated with KNOTS LANDING. My thoughts are with his wife Diana, his children and his grandchildren.”
In addition to creating TV shows, Jacobs was a writer. Fox News shared that he wrote for Esquire, American Heritage and The New York Times throughout his career.
David Jacobs is survived by his children Albyn, Aaron and Molly, his grandchildren Riley and Georgia and his wife, Diana.