Jonathan Morano Dies: ‘Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson’ Writer Was 56

Greg Evans
·2-min read
Jonathan Morano Dies: ‘Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson’ Writer Was 56

Jonathan Morano, a Peabody Award-winning writer of CBS’ The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, died peacefully June 20 at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles following a 15-month battle with Glioblastoma, an aggressive brain tumor. He was 56.

His death was announced by his wife Aimee Blisten.

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Born December 23, 1967, in St. Helens, Merseyside, England, Morano began his writing career with a grant and a fellowship from Robert De Niro’s Tribeca Films for his dramatic screenplay Benjamin Garrett at the 2003 Tribeca Film Festival.

Two years later, he was writing for The Late Late Show, where he’d work for the next 10 years, moving from writer to writing supervisor and, during his final two seasons with the program, as head writer. Although Ferguson left the show in 2014, Morano stayed on with the show writing for various guest hosts until James Corden took over as host in March 2015.

In addition to The Late Late Show, Morano’s credits include the 2006 People’s Choice Awards, the 2008 White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, the 2013 TV special Craig Ferguson: I’m Here to Help, and the 2020 Quibi series Musicology with Tim Kash. Morano also served as consulting producer on Ferguson’s 2011 TV special Does This Need To Be Said?

In addition to his wife, Morano is survived by siblings Nicolas Morano, Andrea Sullivan and Laura O’Reilly. He was preceded in death by parents Patricia Morano and Richard Morano.

Prior to his death, Morano said that the last years of his life were his happiest, “surrounded by the love of his wife and soulmate Aimee Blisten, along with film, art, literature, their friends, their faith, and their two French bulldogs.” He wrote the following list for this obituary:

RANDOM THINGS ABOUT ME, not needed by anyone but I just decided to write this for posterity:

Favorite movies: Withnail and I, Sexy Beast, Moonage Daydream (bowie doc), Children of Men

Favorite Childhood Films: E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars

Favorite Bands: David Bowie, Depeche Mode

Favorite Song: Oasis “Live Forever”

Favorite Book: The World According to Garp

Favorite Person:  Aimee Blisten!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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