The beloved travel shows host passed away of natural causes, and his devoted fans pay tribute to him by posting jokes about him having tours in heaven.
- Jan 8, 2013
AceShowbiz - TV world is currently mourning the death of its prominent figure, Huell Howser. The popular veteran host of TV travelogue "California Gold" passed away on Sunday night, January 6 of natural causes. He was 67.
L.A. TV station KCET, the home of Howser's famous travel shows, announced the sad news on Monday. It stated, "We are deeply saddened by the news of Huell's passing. This is a tremendous personal and professional loss to his friends and colleagues, as well as his legions of fans."
"Huell elevated the simple joys and undiscovered nuggets of living in our great state. He made the magnificence and power of nature seem accessible by bringing it into our living rooms. Most importantly, he reminded us to find the magic and wonderment in our lives every day."
KCET continued, "Huell was able to brilliantly capture the wonder in obscurity. From pastrami sandwiches and artwork woven from lint to the exoticism of cactus gardens and the splendor of Yosemite -- he brought us the magic, the humor and poignancy of our region. We will miss him very much."
In the wake of Howser's passing, plenty of his devoted fans flocked to Twitter to pay tribute to the beloved host by posting tweets about him having tours in heaven. " 'Oh Wow! So this is Heaven huh? Look at that cloud. Where do you suppose it came from? That really is something special.' - RIP Huell Howser," wrote a fan named Drennon Davis.
"I'm probably more upset about Huell Howser's death than any death that has ever occurred in my family," another fan named Liz Belsky tweeted, while Jed Greenwald added, "RIP Huell Howser. He's hanging out with the avocado eating dog in heaven now." A user called Pixel Me Hawaii posted, "Sweet tribute. Huell Howser is smiling somewhere we've never been and jotting a note or two for his next story. :)."
Howser was loved and known for his unpretentious and enthusiastic interview style. He joined KCET in 1987 and had produced a handful of well-known travel shows, such as "Road Trip", "California's Golden Parks" and "Downtown and Visiting... with Huell Howser". In late November, his assistant Ryan Morris told The Los Angeles Times that the host was "retiring from filming new shows."
Apart from the KCET programs, Howser, who was born on October 18, 1945 in Gallatin, Tennessee, also took part in a number of TV shows and big screen movies. He voiced The Backson in Walt Disney Pictures' "Winnie the Pooh", appeared as himself in 2006's documentary "Who Killed the Electric Car?", and joined a 2008 episode of Showtime's "Weeds".
