For a long time poster, gribblenation, condolences. RIP Johnny Hardwick

[OCGuy81]

Best known as the voice of Dale Gribble on King of the Hill.

Johnny Hardwick, the voice actor, comedian and producer best known for playing Dale Gribble on the long-running Fox animated comedy "King of the Hill,"  has died, the show's producers announced.

He was 64. A cause of death was not given.

"Johnny Hardwick was an incredibly beloved member of the 'King of the Hill' family, whose tremendous talent, brilliant humor and friendship will be deeply missed by all who were fortunate enough to work with him over the past 25 years,"  20th Television Animation and Hulu said in a statement.

"Our deepest condolences go out to his friends and family as we mourn the loss of one of the animation greats. His voice gave life to one of our most iconic characters, and he will be truly missed."

http://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/johnny-hardwick-voice-dale-gribble-king-hill-dies-64-rcna99318

[triplemultiplex]

Dang.  Heard about this late yesterday and yeah that sucks.  Can't picture anyone else's voice coming out of Dale.  What made that character great is he always came off sincere, even when he's rambling about whatever conspiracy theory.  I just thought it was quite genius to have this character who is always looking for the hidden angle on what's "really" going on, but is completely oblivious to his wife's infidelity and the fact that his son obviously isn't his.
Pour one out for Rusty Shackleford while we're at it.

They were trying to reboot King of the Hill for next year, but this throws yet another wrench into the plan on top of the strikes and whatnot.  We've already lost the voices of Luanne and Lucky since the show went off the air, but at least they weren't core characters like Dale.  And right now, the idea of recasting is not palatable to me.  I hate it when cartoons do that.  It's one thing if you're rebooting the show and ALL the voices are different, but if only a couple are, it hits the ear wrong.  It's bothered me my whole life.  Mel Blanc has been dead for decades, but if anyone but him tries to voice Bugs Bunny, I notice it.  Been like that since I was a kid.

[Duke87]

Should be noted that Gribblenation is not named after Dale Gribble, them having a common name is a coincidence.

[Max Rockatansky]

Should be noted that Gribblenation is not named after Dale Gribble, them having a common name is a coincidence.

Adam and Doug touched on the origin of the "Gribblenation"  name in our 20th Anniversary Podcast.  The short version of the story is that it was a reference to someone they both knew and the name ultimately ended up sticking.  Amusingly there are several people with the last name "Gribblen"  which follow our Facebook page.

[Takumi]

Best known as the voice of Dale Gribble on King of the Hill.

Johnny Hardwick, the voice actor, comedian and producer best known for playing Dale Gribble on the long-running Fox animated comedy "King of the Hill,"  has died, the show's producers announced.

...or has he?

[Henry]

Dang.  Heard about this late yesterday and yeah that sucks.  Can't picture anyone else's voice coming out of Dale.  What made that character great is he always came off sincere, even when he's rambling about whatever conspiracy theory.  I just thought it was quite genius to have this character who is always looking for the hidden angle on what's "really" going on, but is completely oblivious to his wife's infidelity and the fact that his son obviously isn't his.
Pour one out for Rusty Shackleford while we're at it.

They were trying to reboot King of the Hill for next year, but this throws yet another wrench into the plan on top of the strikes and whatnot.  We've already lost the voices of Luanne and Lucky since the show went off the air, but at least they weren't core characters like Dale.  And right now, the idea of recasting is not palatable to me.  I hate it when cartoons do that.  It's one thing if you're rebooting the show and ALL the voices are different, but if only a couple are, it hits the ear wrong.  It's bothered me my whole life.  Mel Blanc has been dead for decades, but if anyone but him tries to voice Bugs Bunny, I notice it.  Been like that since I was a kid.

At least he recorded several episodes before he passed. Perhaps Hulu will add a tribute to him for this season, and it's possible that the series will write out Dale eventually.

RIP Brittany Murphy, Tom Petty and Johnny Hardwick