Phil Hartman, The SNL Member Killed By His Wife
Ann Summa/Getty ImagesPhil Hartman in The Groundlings, where he got his comedic start. The SNL member died at the hands of his own wife.
Of all the SNL stars who died young, Phil Hartman’s death was perhaps the most shocking. On May 28, 1998, Hartman was murdered at the age of 49 by his own wife, Brynn — who then died by suicide.
Born on Sept. 24, 1948, Hartman made his comedic start with The Groundlings in 1975. His star potential was clear, and Hartman was hired as a writer and performer on Saturday Night Live in 1986. He made a splash with characters like “Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer” and his take on Frank Sinatra, and also started doing voice work for The Simpsons.
Behind the scenes, however, Phil Hartman’s marriage with his third wife Brynn Omdahl had taken a dark turn.
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagicPhil and Brynn Hartman in 1998.
Many of Hartman’s friends weren’t a fan of Brynn, and one exclaimed “Oh god, no!” when Hartman told her he was going to propose. Indeed, Brynn struggled with substance abuse and displayed increasingly violent and threatening behavior throughout their marriage; when Hartman’s second wife sent a note congratulating the couple on the birth of their son, Brynn responded with a death threat.
On May 27, 1998, Brynn and Phil Hartman reportedly got into a fight in which the comedian threatened to leave Brynn if she kept using drugs. Phil then went to bed. Around 3 a.m. the next morning, an intoxicated Brynn crept into the bedroom where the comedian was sleeping and shot and killed him.
After telling friends what she had done, Brynn then turned the gun on herself. She died that morning at the age of 40.
