Harvey Frand, Emmy-winning producer of
cable channel SyFy's Battlestar Galactica, died July 23 in Los
Angeles at 68, Variety reported.
Frand is survived by his domestic
partner of 32 years, Bill Bowersock. The pair collaborated on
several projects together, including two made-for-tv movies: USA
Network's Out of Annie's Past and SyFy's New Eden.
Bowersock composed the music for the 1985 feature film The Dirt
Bike Kid.
Frand began his career in
series producing with The Devlin Connection, which starred
Rock Hudson, in 1982.
He joined Galactica in 2003, and
won an AFI Award, the 2005 Peabody Award and a 2008 Emmy for his work
on the series. Frand is currently nominated for a second Emmy Award.
“Harvey had a remarkable gift as a
producer,” Mary McDonnell, star of Galactica, said in a
statement. “He always made the person who was voicing needs and
concerns know that he was truly listening despite the fact that you
knew he was juggling hundreds of others simultaneously.”
NBC Universal executive Todd Sharp told
The Hollywood Reporter: “Harvey was the Wizard of Oz, the
man behind the curtain, the orchestra conductor, the school guidance
counselor.”
“He was adored by executive producers
and production assistants, studio and network, cast and crew,”
Sharp added.
Bowersock has asked for donations in
Frand's name to be made to the Gay
Men's Chorus of Los Angeles' Alive Music Project in lieu of
flowers. An interactive online memorial can be found at Legacy.com.