RiP William Link

[Bill Mullins]

William Link, who is most famous for co-creating Columbo and Murder She Wrote, passed away on Sunday at age 87. Magicians know him and his late writing partner Richard Levinson for writing the book for Doug Henning's Broadway show Merlin, for creating Blacke's Magic. He was involved in magic since he met Levinson at age 14; they would do shows together and swap tricks. He was an Emmy winner, a president of the Mystery Writers of America, and a Tony nominee. You might have seen him at Magic Live or at the late lamented LA History Conference.

[Bob Farmer]

A wonderful talent. Don't forget Columbo!

[Doug Thornton]

Bill Link and Dick Levinson's "Columbo" is one of my all-time favorite TV dramas, and there is great joy in seeing magic playing a role in a number of episodes as well as in their other shows.

Peter Samelson wrote a feature article about Mr. Link in MAGIC Magazine, which compelled me to ask Peter for Mr. Link's email address. I wrote an impassioned letter, expressing my love of Lieutenant Columbo and the enduring existence of the show throughout the globe.
One Sunday night, a week later, I received a phone call:
"Doug? It's Bill Link."
I've met numerous celebrities but this was one of my biggest thrills!
We chatted for a half hour about the show and magic.
Bill told me about a show that Orson Welles hosted called "Scene of the Crime," a whodunit. Bill said that he spent time in Orson Welles' trailer, sharing card tricks. That tidbit, for me, was as cool as meeting Renee Zellweger, Bruce Springsteen, and Jon Voight.
Bill was kind and down-to-earth and our conversation was joyful.

"Columbo" had many great actors portraying the murderers. And a bonus of the show was its nuggets of humor throughout.
My condolences to Bill's wife Margery as well as their family.

Columbo blog:
https://columbophile.com/2020/12/30/tha ... liam-link/

From Variety:
https://variety.com/2020/tv/obituaries- ... 234876219/

[Leo Garet]

"One more thing..............."

[JKeppel]

Magic wise, Link also wrote the screen play for the TV movie "Murder by Natural Causes" which starred Hal Holbrook as a Mentalist.