‘Courage the Cowardly Dog’ writer David Steven Cohen dies at 66

David Steven Cohen, the Emmy-winning writer and composer known for his work on Courage the Cowardly Dog, passed away on March 15 in Brooklyn, N.Y., after a battle with cancer. 

He was 66.

Cohen’s career was as versatile as it was impactful. 

He got his start working with Steve Martin on a CBS comedy-anthology series before writing for Pee-wee’s Playhouse and ALF, later co-creating ALFTales. 

He served as head writer on Parker Lewis Can’t Lose and co-executive producer on Living Single. His writing credits extended to the animated feature Balto, executive produced by Steven Spielberg.

For Nickelodeon’s The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss, Cohen earned two Emmy nominations and a Writers Guild Award. 

He also worked with Amy Sedaris and Stephen Colbert as a consulting producer on Strangers With Candy. 

His most beloved work, Courage the Cowardly Dog, ran for four seasons on Cartoon Network, with the network honoring him on Instagram: “Thank you, David, for your work on the strangely beautiful world of Courage, lovingly adding to our childhood trauma while teaching poignant life lessons. How you’ve brought to life a scared but courageous little dog reminds us that we can do anything, even if we’re afraid.”

Cohen was also nominated for his work on Arthur and won a Daytime Emmy in 2016 for PBS’ Peg + Cat. 

As a composer and lyricist, his music was performed by Elaine Stritch, Jimmy Fallon, and more, with credits including Clifford’s Really Big Movie and Space Racers. He also wrote the libretto for the opera Lilith, which premiered at Lincoln Center.

Cohen left behind his wife, Andrea, and their two sons, Variety reports.