Jim Geoghan, ‘Suite Life of Zack & Cody’ Co-Creator, Dies at 79
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Jim Geoghan, the writer and producer who co-created Disney Channel's "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody," has died at the age of 79. He passed away on 6 September in Los Angeles, his daughter Genevieve Geoghan confirmed. The show, which launched the careers of Cole and Dylan Sprouse, Ashley Tisdale and Brenda Song, remains one of the most fondly remembered children's sitcoms of the 2000s, and Geoghan's death marks the loss of a key figure behind its creation.
"The Suite Life of Zack & Cody" ran from 2005 to 2008 before spawning the spin-off "The Suite Life on Deck," which continued until 2011, and earned Geoghan two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Children's Programme. Earlier in his career he wrote for sitcoms including "Silver Spoons" and "The Facts of Life," penned the off-Broadway play "Only Kidding," and began in comedy in 1973 as part of the New York trio Divided We Stand. He is survived by his wife, Annie, and daughter, Genevieve.
- Jim Geoghan, co-creator of "Suite Life of Zack & Cody," died aged 79
- Passed away 6 September in Los Angeles; earned two Emmy nominations
- Also wrote for sitcoms and stage plays over a long career
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Jim Geoghan spent much of his career writing for American television comedy, and one of his best-known credits was co-creating "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody," a Disney Channel sitcom about twin brothers living in a Boston hotel. Running from 2005 to 2008, the show became one of the network's signature children's programmes and helped launch the careers of its young cast, including Cole and Dylan Sprouse, Ashley Tisdale and Brenda Song.
Before that success, Geoghan had already built a long career in comedy and television, having started out performing with a New York comedy trio in the 1970s before moving into writing for established sitcoms such as "Silver Spoons" and "The Facts of Life." His work on "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody" and its spin-off, "The Suite Life on Deck," later earned him two Emmy nominations.
His death is being reported because of the lasting popularity of the show he helped create, which remains widely remembered by audiences who grew up watching it, and because it marks the loss of a writer whose career spanned several decades of American sitcom television.
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