Sam Amico
Phil Hartman will always be remembered as a comedic genius. But just in case anyone forgot, his daughter decided to bring his memory to life with a tribute on social media.
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“My dad’s 74th birthday today!” Birgen Hartman captioned tweet on Sept. 24.
Then, of course, she added a joke, because you can be sure that’s the way her dad would’ve done it.
“Thanks for the personality disorder!” she added.
The tweet featured Phil wearing a cat costume for a comedy sketch. Birgen revealed in another tweet that comedian/actor Jon Lovitz told her that she thought she was a cat until the age of 4 — perhaps the reason behind the feline humor involving Phil.
Hartman is best remembered for his roles on Saturday Night Live, The Simpsons and NewsRadio, as well as the tragic manner in which he died in 1998, at the age of 49.
That was when his wife, Brynn, fatally shot Hartman before committing suicide. Their two children, including Birgen, grew up outside the limelight.
Few people know that before Hartman became a famous comedian, he was an artist. In fact, he designed album covers for bands such as America and Poco. But it was his on-screen work that drew him the most recognition, of course.
“It’s great that people still love and remember my dad’s characters on The Simpsons,” Birgen told The Hollywood Reporter in 2017. “Even after 20-plus years, I still see people quoting Lionel Hutz or sharing Troy McClure memes. The fact that those characters have carried themselves into the modern day and have remained relevant is just so cool to see, and I think my dad would have been proud of that.”
