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Bob Tischler, a vital factor in restoring Saturday Night Live following a tough stretch in the 1980-81 season, died at the age of 78.
According to his son, Tischler died on July 13 at his house in Bodega Bay, California, of pancreatic cancer, the New York Times reported on Sunday, August 11.
The writer and producer began his work as a sound engineer for radio and television. His big break came when Christopher Guest, who had worked with Tischler on a radio commercial, suggested him to National Lampoon.
There, he produced various comedy CDs, including Radio Dinner (1972), Gold Turkey (1975), That's Not Funny, That's Sick (1977), and The National Lampoon Radio Hour (1973).
Tischler also built a name for himself in music by producing John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd's debut Blues Brothers album, Briefcase Full of Blues (1978), which peaked at number one on the Billboard album chart.
He collaborated with the group again on their album Made in America (1980) and the music to the 1980 film The Blues Brothers.
When SNL struggled under new leadership after creator Lorne Michaels' departure, Tischler joined the crew as a supervising producer under Dick Ebersol.
He had an important role in bringing the program around and was elevated to chief writer, a post he retained until his departure in 1985.
