Marty Krofft has died age 86: TV producer and the pioneer among many iconic children’s shows sadly passed due to kidney failure
Marty Krofft has died at the age of 86, his longtime publicist Harlan Boll has announced.
The TV producer, known for his support of Land Of The Lost, HR Pufnstuf and Donny And Marie, has sadly passed away due to kidney failure.
Marty, the pioneer of children’s television and primetime programming, was said to have been surrounded by his family and friends when he died on Saturday.
Announcing the tragic news, his publicist Harlan told ABC News: “On behalf of the Krofft family and Sid & Marty Krofft Pictures, I have been asked to announce the passing of their brother, father, grandfather and great-grandfather – the legendary and iconic industry mogul Marty Krofft.”
Marty, also known as ‘Kind of Saturday Mornings’, became famous for his work on The Banana Splits Adventure Hour.
Sad: Marty Kroft has passed away at the age of 86
A sad day: the TV producer, famous for Land Of The Lost, HR Pufnstuf and Donny And Marie, unfortunately passed away due to kidney failure (pictured with his brother Sid Kroft in 2020)
The producer eventually founded production company Sid and Marty Pictures with his brother Sid Krofft in 1969.
Sid, 94, and Marty produced colorful fantasy-themed children’s shows, including Lidsville and Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, as well as The Brady Bunch Hour.
The duo was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award in 2018 and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2020.
With a career spanning over 50 years, Marty has produced multiple shows and quality family entertainment.
In the 1980s, Montreal natives Sid and Marty created the syndicated series DC Follies, starring Fred Willard.
Marty married German model and actress Christa Speck, who sadly passed away in 2013 at the age of 70.
Marty and Christa have an actress daughter named Kristina.
In 1957, Marty and Sid, a puppeteer, developed Les Poupées de Paris, a puppet show with adult themes.
Emotional: Marty, the pioneer of children’s television and primetime programming, was said to have been surrounded by his family and friends when he died on Saturday
Bros: The producer eventually co-founded production company Sid and Marty Pictures with his brother Sid Krofft in 1969
Icon: Marty, also known as the ‘Kind of Saturday Mornings’, became famous for his work on The Banana Splits Adventure Hour
In 2008, the Los Angeles Times described the brothers’ dynamic ways, writing, “Marty had joined the act in the late 1950s, and from then on the two puppeteers were locked in a competition to prove who was really at the pulled strings.
“Sid was the creative force, but Marty was the one who made sure the act actually made it to the stage.”
In addition to his brother Sid, Marty has a brother Harry, three daughters, Deanna Krofft-Pope, Kristina and Kendra Krofft, five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.