Alan Sacks dead: Co-creator of Welcome Back, Kotter and Disney Channel producer dies at 81, cause of death

His wife, talent agent Annette van Duren, told Deadline that Sacks died peacefully on Tuesday morning in New York City following a sharp progression of mantle cell lymphoma.

She said: “It was treated for him to dance at our daughter’s June wedding and walk her down the aisle. After that, the chemotherapy stopped being effective. He started hospice last week. He died peacefully listening to Tibetan music for the final few days and nights at age 81.”

Sacks, born December 9, 1942, co-created Welcome Back, Kotter with Gabe Kaplan in 1975, with the hit series running for four seasons on ABC. He also produced films like Smart House (1999), the Emmy-winning The Color of Friendship (2000), The Other Me (2000), You Wish! (2003), Pixel Perfect (2004), Camp Rock (2008), and Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience (2009).

Actor Robert Rusler, who starred in Sacks' 1986 film Thrashin', remembered him as a “writer, producer, teacher, and connector of people,” describing him as an "OG punk rocker" and "great family man" with a legacy that stretched beyond Hollywood. "Alan will be missed and remembered forever. DAGGERS 4 LIFE RIP Ol’ friend,” Rusler wrote in tribute.