Ben Feigin, executive producer of the multiple Emmy award-winning show “Schitt’s Creek” and native of Silver Spring, succumbed to pancreatic cancer on Oct. 24, according to Variety.
Feigin, who was 47, died in his home in L.A., according to United Talent Agency, his former employer. He is survived by his wife Heidi and their 11-year-old daughter Ellie, his mother Louise Davidson, siblings Betsy Feigin Befus of Silver Spring and Sam Feigin of Bethesda, and his six nieces and nephews.
He was born in Silver Spring on Sept. 11, 1975, to his Silver Spring mother and father the late Steve Feigin of Bethesda. Feigin graduated Bethesda Chevy Chase High School in 1993. He also attended the communication arts magnet program at Silver Spring’s Eastern Middle School, Rosemary Hills Elementary, and North Chevy Chase Elementary.
“On Monday, I lost my number one, my almost twin, my best friend,” wrote Befus in a eulogy. “Even during his darkest days, Ben supported me through my own struggles, and reveled in my good news. Ben and I always kept it real, and left nothing unsaid. I don’t yet know how I will manage missing him.”
Befus talked about a recent time when she drove to pick up a few items for her brother. She saw a mural of the late NBA player Kobe Bryant on the side of a building with the inscription, #LALegendsNeverDie. “I took a photo and shared it with Ben, thinking he’d relate to the notion, but he corrected me. He reminded me that he is a Silver Spring legend. We all know his legendary spirit will never die.”
Founder of Equation Unlimited, LLC, Feigin was instrumental in the development and production of Schitt’s Creek, the hit television show starring Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara. He took home an Emmy in 2020 for “Outstanding Comedy Series” for the show’s final season. He also received a GLAAD media award for “Best Comedy Series” in 2020 and 2021.
“We were saddened to hear the news of Ben Feigin’s passing,” wrote show creator Eugene Levy in a tweet. “The Schitt’s Creek family extend our most heartfelt condolences to his wife Heidi, his daughter Ellie, and all his friends and family. He will be missed.”
We were saddened to hear the news of Ben Feigin’s passing. The Schitt’s Creek family extend our most heartfelt condolences to his wife Heidi, his daughter Ellie, and all of his family and friends. He will be missed.
— Eugene Levy (@Realeugenelevy) October 26, 2022
My brother was a creative genius and the funniest person I knew. He lived an authentic life of integrity. I’ve lost my #1, Almost Twin, best friend. May his memory be for a blessing. Ben Feigin Dead: 'Schitt's Creek' Executive Producer Was 47 – Variety https://t.co/4vmm3XcUhX
— Betsy Feigin Befus (@SilverSpringBFB) October 26, 2022
My very first friend, Ben Feigin, died Monday. The world knew him as an Emmy-award-winning executive producer of Schitt’s Creek and a creative genius. I will never forget our countless one-on-one baseball games. His memory is a blessing.https://t.co/VBAffx7wUB pic.twitter.com/L3CNPR0Oi1
— Jonathan Allen (@jonallendc) October 26, 2022
A graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara, Feigin contributed to many projects in the entertainment industry, including “Friends,” “The West Wing,” “ER,” and a reunion of Cheech & Chong. He taught classes at UCLA, New York University, and his alma mater UCSB. Feigin also worked with nonprofits Stand Up to Cancer, Gilda’s Club World-Wide, the Tony Hawk Foundation, the Creative Coalition, and Laurene Powell Jobbs’ Emerson Collective.
Services were held Oct. 27 at Mount Sinai Cemetery Hollywood Hills. A request has been made for donations in his memory to Stand Up to Cancer.
Photo courtesy UTA.
