William David Powell
Encyclopedia
William David Powell an American, was a writer for television.
and actress Eileen Wilson. His parents divorced in 1930.
, Death Valley
, 77 Sunset Strip
and Rawhide
.
He also worked as an associate producer at Warner Bros.
and Universal Studios
, and held an executive position at NBC.
, hepatitis
and kidney problems that had forced him to quit writing, in 1968 he committed suicide by stabbing himself repeatedly in the upper body while in the shower. He left a four-page note addressed to his father, to whom he was still very close.
The last two sentences of this note were revealed to the public: "Things aren't so good here. I'm going where it's better."
Powell was laid to rest at Cathedral City's
Desert Memorial Park
in Riverside County, California
, where his father and his father's last wife, Diana Lewis
, are also buried.
Early life
Powell was the only child of actor William PowellWilliam Powell
William Horatio Powell was an American actor.A major star at MGM, he was paired with Myrna Loy in 14 films, including the popular Thin Man series in which Powell and Loy played Nick and Nora Charles...
and actress Eileen Wilson. His parents divorced in 1930.
Career
Powell went on to become a television writer, whose credits include episodes of BonanzaBonanza
Bonanza is an American western television series that both ran on and was a production of NBC from September 12, 1959 to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 430 episodes, it ranks as the second longest running western series and still continues to air in syndication. It centers on the...
, Death Valley
Death Valley
Death Valley is a desert valley located in Eastern California. Situated within the Mojave Desert, it features the lowest, driest, and hottest locations in North America. Badwater, a basin located in Death Valley, is the specific location of the lowest elevation in North America at 282 feet below...
, 77 Sunset Strip
77 Sunset Strip
77 Sunset Strip is an hour-length American television private detective series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Roger Smith, and Edd Byrnes....
and Rawhide
Rawhide (TV series)
Rawhide is an American Western series that aired for eight seasons on the CBS network on Friday nights, from January 9, 1959 to September 3, 1965, before moving to Tuesday nights from September 14, 1965 until January 4, 1966, with a total of 217 black-and-white episodes...
.
He also worked as an associate producer at Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
and Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
, and held an executive position at NBC.
Death
After suffering from depressionClinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
, hepatitis
Hepatitis
Hepatitis is a medical condition defined by the inflammation of the liver and characterized by the presence of inflammatory cells in the tissue of the organ. The name is from the Greek hepar , the root being hepat- , meaning liver, and suffix -itis, meaning "inflammation"...
and kidney problems that had forced him to quit writing, in 1968 he committed suicide by stabbing himself repeatedly in the upper body while in the shower. He left a four-page note addressed to his father, to whom he was still very close.
The last two sentences of this note were revealed to the public: "Things aren't so good here. I'm going where it's better."
Powell was laid to rest at Cathedral City's
Cathedral City, California
Cathedral City is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. The population was 51,200 at the 2010 census. Sandwiched between Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage, it is one of the cities in the Coachella Valley of southern California...
Desert Memorial Park
Desert Memorial Park
Desert Memorial Park is a cemetery in Cathedral City, California, United States, near Palm Springs. It is maintained by the Palm Springs Cemetery District...
in Riverside County, California
Riverside County, California
Riverside County is a county in the U.S. state of California. One of 58 California counties, it covers in the southern part of the state, and stretches from Orange County to the Colorado River, which forms the state border with Arizona. The county derives its name from the city of Riverside,...
, where his father and his father's last wife, Diana Lewis
Diana Lewis
Diana "Mousie" Lewis was an American film actress and a MGM contract star.Born in Asbury Park, New Jersey, Lewis began her film career in All the King's Horses and worked steadily over the next few years, usually in minor roles...
, are also buried.