‘Gilmore Girls,’ ‘The Practice’ Star Edward Herrmann Dead at 71

Edward Herrmann, who starred as Richard Gilmore in Gilmore Girls and won an Emmy for his guest starring role on The Practice, died Wednesday morning in New York City. He was 71.

The longtime actor died from a stage IV glioblastoma brain tumor, which he had been battling for a year, his manager Robbie Kass confirmed to B&C in an email.

Herrmann was reportedly in intensive care for nearly a month before his family decided to take him off a respirator, according to TMZ, which was first to report of the actor’s death.

The Washington, D.C. born thespian appeared throughout Gilmore Girls’ seven-season run. He also had recurring roles on St. Elsewhere, The Practice, Oz, Grey’s Anatomy, Harry’s Law, The Good Wife and most recently on ABC’s short-lived Black Box.

Herrmann also appeared on the big screen in The Aviator, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Lost Boys and Overboard, among others.

He is survived by his second wife Star Benson and three children.

“Besides being an accomplished actor, [he] was also a true gentleman and a scholar, as well as being an incredibly kind and decent man,” said Kass. “He will be sorely missed.”

Jessika Walsten

Jessika is an analyst for TVREV and Fabric Media. She previously served in various roles at Broadcasting + Cable, Multichannel News and NextTV, working with the brands since 2013. A graduate of USC Annenberg, Jessika has edited and reported on a variety of subjects in the media and entertainment space, including profiles on industry leaders and breaking news.