David Steven Cohen, Head Writer on ‘Courage the Cowardly Dog,’ Dies at 66

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David Steven Cohen, a talented Emmy-awarded writer and musician known for his work as the lead writer on “Courage the Cowardly Dog,” passed away on March 15 due to cancer in Brooklyn, New York. He was 66 years old.

Raised in Brooklyn, Cohen initially collaborated with Steve Martin on a comedy series for CBS. Later, he transitioned into writing for “Pee-wee’s Playhouse” and “ALF,” jointly creating and overseeing the production of NBC’s animated spin-off titled “ALFTales.

As a passionate movie enthusiast, I’ve had the privilege to work behind the scenes on some fantastic shows. For instance, I was the co-executive producer and chief scriptwriter for the teen comedy “Parker Lewis Can’t Lose.” Furthermore, I also donned the hat of co-executive producer for Fox’s popular sitcom “Living Single.

He co-wrote the animated feature “Balto” for exec producer Steven Spielberg.

Cohen was nominated for two Emmys and a Writers Guild Award for his work on Nickelodeon’s “The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss.” Additionally, he collaborated with Amy Sedaris and Stephen Colbert as a consulting producer for Comedy Central’s “Strangers With Candy.

In 1999, “Courage the Cowardly Dog,” produced by Cartoon Network, made its debut and continued for four seasons. Recently, Cartoon Network paid tribute to David Cohen on Instagram, expressing gratitude for his contributions to the peculiar yet captivating universe of Courage. They wrote, “Thank you, David, for helping create a world that haunts our childhood memories while simultaneously imparting profound life lessons. Your ability to bring a scared yet courageous little dog to life serves as an inspiration, reminding us all that we can overcome even our deepest fears.

He once more received an Emmy nomination for his work on the PBS animated show “Arthur,” and he secured a Daytime Emmy award in 2016 for the PBS production titled “Peg + Cat.

As a skilled songwriter and musician, Cohen’s compositions were sung by artists such as Elaine Stritch, Jimmy Fallon, among others. He also created the music and soundtracks for films and television shows like “Space Racers” and “Clifford’s Really Big Movie.

Apart from that, he penned the script for the opera titled “Lilith,” which made its debut at Lincoln Center back in 2001. Over a considerable period, Leonard Cohen collaborated on his writings with Roger S.H. Shulman.

He is survived by his wife Andrea and two sons.

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2025-03-26 03:16