R.I.P. Johnny Hardwick: ‘King of the Hill’s Dale Gribble Dead at 64

By Samantha Nungesser @samjnungesser
Published Aug. 10, 2023, 1:09 p.m. ET

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Johnny Hardwick, the standup comedian best known for voicing Dale Gribble in the animated sitcom King of the Hill, has died. He was 64.

According to a report by TMZ, law enforcement was called to Hardwick’s Texas residence on Tuesday (Aug. 8) for a welfare check when they discovered his body. He was reportedly pronounced dead at the scene. While no official cause of death has been announced, there was no foul play detected.

Born in 1959 in Austin, Texas, Hardwick graduated from Texas Tech University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism before starting his stand-up comedy career in 1990. Several years later, he became the first stand-up comedian to appear on The Jon Stewart Show.

However, most may recognize his voice from King of the Hill, where he worked as a staff writer, story editor and producer, and voiced the character Dale Gribble — the conspiracy theorist, gun fanatic, pest exterminator best friend to Hank Hill (Mike Judge).

The Emmy-winning series — which takes place in the fictional town of Arlen, Texas and follows the Hill family, their neighbors, co-workers, classmates and acquaintances — ran for 13 seasons between 1997 and 2010.

In the time since the series ended, Hardwick began posting videos on YouTube, some of which featured himself performing covers of hit songs like “Let it Be” and “Imagine” as Dale Gribble, complete with his signature orange baseball cap and dark shades. His channel garnered just north of 17,000 subscribers.

In January, a King of the Hill revival was ordered at Hulu, which was set to feature the original cast, including Hardwick.

“We are all so excited to welcome back Hank, Peggy, and Bobby, and to see what they have to say about the world we live in, and continue the conversations we began years ago,” Craig Erwich, president of ABC Entertainment, said in a statement at the time, per Collider. “This show has all of the perfect ingredients to meet this moment in animation at Hulu, and we’re so thankful to be having those conversations alongside this talented group.”

As of now, it’s unclear whether the Hardwick had already recorded for the show.