Eric Gilliland, 62, was an American TV writer, producer, actor, and whistler, best known for his work on the popular sitcom Roseanne, My Boys, and The Wonder Years.
Sadly, he passed away on September 1, 2024. Talking about Eric’s cause of demise, he lost his life to cancer.
Highlights
- Eric Gilliland never shared about his wife or kids; however, he was open about his friendship with Martha Plimpton.
- Eric wasn’t the only one from his family; his mother, Sonja, also fought cancer twice.
- He is also survived by his sister Lisa Gilliland, who is into marathons and hiking.
Eric was open about his condition; moreover, the late writer recently shared it on his Facebook.
In his last Facebook post, which was on his birthday, May 28, Eric wrote about his battle with the illness. The writer mentioned he had been battling stage four colon cancer for the last three years.
At that moment, Eric said he was in the clear, but a tiny spot was found on his lung. Still, with some medical attention, they removed it, and he was good to go once again.
While sharing his story, Eric also made his readers aware of the importance of colonoscopy. Furthermore, he was raising funds to fight colorectal cancer.
Eric Gilliland Kept His Wife And Kids Private But Stayed Open About His Friendship With Martha
Eric Gilliland’s relationship status is unknown right now. There is nothing on the Internet about his romantic encounters.
The later writer and actor was on Facebook; the only social handles he used often. However, even on that platform, he never shared about being married or having kids.
Even though you can not find anything about Eric being married or expanding his family, on his Facebook post, one can see he was close to his friend Martha Plimpton.
Eric and Martha’s paths crossed as both are in the entertainment industry. Professionally, she is an American actress, activist, and former model.
The diva shared several photos on her official Facebook to honor Eric after his passing. Additionally, Martha seems to have another Facebook account named Violent Bick.
On that specific account, Martha updated her profile picture to match Eric’s, featuring the two dancing together. She also set a wallpaper with Eric’s photo.
Furthermore, Eric’s Facebook features a photo tagging Martha as Violent Bick, capturing the pair enjoying their time at the beach.
This concludes that Eric and Martha were more than just colleagues. While they met through work, their relationship over time grew into a deep friendship.
Eric Gilliland Wasn’t The Only One To Suffer From Cancer In His Family
Eric Gilliland once took it to his Facebook account to share his mother’s struggle with breast cancer.
The time Eric opened up about his mom’s illness, it was the second time she got diagnosed with a tumor.
The late writer’s mother, Sonja Gilliland, however, was lucky. Despite having a life-threatening illness, she survived.
Speaking more about Eric’s mom, she went to Evanston Township High School. After graduation, Sonja attended Drake University.
Similarly, Eric’s mother is from Evanston, Illinois, and currently resides in Glenview, Illinois. Like her son, Sonja is on Facebook.
After Eric’s demise, Sonja shared an old picture of her son featuring his sister and dog. Further, delving into her Facebook details, she mentioned having a daughter named Lisa Gilliland, i.e., Eric’s sister.
Talking about Eric’s sibling, Lisa is quite an athletic person. She loves to run in a marathon and has proudly shown off her medal in a Facebook post.
Additionally, Lisa loves hiking and often spends quality time with her family outdoors.
Furthermore, Sonja mentioned having two grandsons in her family. Their names are Jon Herringer and Nick Herringer.
Currently, Jon works at Tri Fitness and Camp Widjiwagan. Both Jon and Nick live in White Bear Lake, Minnesota.
Additional Information
- Eric Gilliland earned many honors, including a Writers Guild of America Award nomination for Roseanne and a Daytime Emmy nomination for The Who Was? Show in 2019.
- Born in Glenview, Illinois, Gilliland graduated from Northwestern University in 1984; further, his television career began with a role on Who’s the Boss?
- Throughout his career, he accumulated an estimated net worth of $3 million.
