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'Gilligan's Island,' 'Brady Bunch' Creator Sherwood Schwartz Dies At 94

LOS ANGELES (CBS)— The man who created "Gilligan's Island" and "The Brady Bunch" has died. Great niece Robin Randall said Sherwood Schwartz died at 4 a.m. Tuesday. He was 94.

His son and producing partner, Lloyd Schwartz, told the website The Wrap that his father remained dedicated to his work throughout his life.

"He had a lot of favorite projects and a lot of favorite shows, and his favorite one was always the next one," he told the website. "He didn't really die. He just ran out of time to do things."

Schwartz was a veteran comedy writer when he created two of TV's best-remembered sitcoms in the 1960s. Over the years, they have inspired parodies, spinoffs and countless stand-up comedy jokes.

"Gilligan's Island" featured a hummable theme song telling how a boatload of seven characters, including a professor and a movie star, wound up stranded on an island. Bob Denver played Gilligan, the assistant skipper.

"The Brady Bunch" featured Florence Henderson as a widow with three daughters who marries a widower with three sons. A bigscreen version, "The Brady Bunch Movie," was a surprise box-office hit in 1995.

Florence Henderson released the following statement regarding Schwartz's death:

"Sherwood Schwartz changed my life! It was he who chose me to be the iconic mom, Carol Brady, on the Brady Bunch. Sherwood was a wonderful writer and Producer but more importantly, he was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather and friend. His sense of humor never failed him and I always looked so forward to hearing his stories. They were endless and made you laugh so hard that tears would be running down your cheeks. Most of these stories were about the mishaps in his own life. I've known Sherwood since 1969. In all those years I don't ever remember him losing his temper. Ultimately, he was a wonderful teacher in life and again, in death, he taught us how to leave with dignity and courage. Sherwood has a wonderful family who so loved and respected him. I know his Brady Bunch family feels the same way. He will be missed by so many."

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