John Bush, an Emmy-winning producer known for his contributions to iconic animations like The Simpsons, Family Guy, and X-Men: Evolution, has died at 69.
His death occurred on November 23 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, due to B-cell lymphoma in the brain stem, shared by his friend Kevin Bannerman.
Bush, born on July 6, 1954, in Albert Lea, Minnesota, moved to Tokyo with his family at six and later studied theater arts at San Francisco State College. He was part of the Beach Blanket Babylon musical from 1981 to 1983, acted in Los Angeles, and even won $20,000 on Super Password.
Bush’s career in animation took off at Hyperion Pictures from 1992 to 1998, where he produced titles like The Oz Kids and the Brave Little Toaster series.
He transitioned to television, producing for Family Guy in 1998, Clerks: The Cartoon in 1999, and eventually became the VP of production at Film Roman in 2000, contributing to The Simpsons, King of the Hill, and more. His work on The Simpsons earned him an Emmy in 2001.
In 2005, Bush ventured into LGBTQ content with Rick and Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in the World for LOGO/MTV Networks and continued to produce for various shows and films, including Warner Bros.
Animation’s CG shorts and Sony Pictures Animation’s Open Season, Scared Silly. His final works included Scooby-Doo! And the Gourmet Ghost and the New Looney Tunes series.
Beyond his animation career, Bush was deeply involved in gay rights activism in San Francisco and Los Angeles and had a passion for movies, particularly musicals and comedies, with Barbra Streisand and Julie Andrews among his favorite stars.
