Jim Abrahams, Comedy Writer-Director for ‘Airplane!’ & ‘Naked Gun’ Dies at 80

If you’re a fan of extremely silly comedies such as Airplane!, The Naked Gun films and Hot Shots!, then you’re a fan of the work of Jim Abrahams. The writer-director worked with brothers Jerry and David Zucker on several films after meeting when they were kids. Abrahams has reportedly died of natural causes at his home in Santa Monica. He was 80.

Abrahams was born in Wisconsin in 1944 and met the Zucker brothers in school, which brought them a lifelong friendship and the nickname ZAZ. In 1971, the trio, along with Dick Chudnow, founded the Kentucky Fried Theater in Madison, proving their worth as comedy powerhouses. It led to the film The Kentucky Fried Movie, featuring silly sketches and film parodies.