John Frederick Bowman, the Emmy-winning writer and producer, passed away at his home in Santa Monica, California, on Tuesday, his son Johnny Bowman Jr. announced. The famed Martin co-creator was 64 at the time of his passing.

Bowman's death has understandably touched many in the film and television industry, especially because he was a major voice during the 2007-08 writers' strike. Bowman was the chairman of the negotiating committee for the Writers Guild of America and helped gain a settlement that shared producers’ internet streaming revenue with film and television writers for the first time. In 2006, he was elected to the WGAW board of directors as well.

John Bowman’s strong and thoughtful leadership of the 2007 WGA Negotiating Committee made him a vocal champion for the membership throughout the talks and the strike that we eventually won... He remained committed to serving the membership as a Board member, Funds trustee and 2011 Negotiating Committee co-chair. The Guild is stronger today because of John’s dedication and devotion to his fellow writers. - Meredith Stiehm, president of the Writers Guild of America West.

Among many mourning his passing is Oscar-winning screenwriter John Ridley, who said in a statement:

In the writers room, John was a mentor to so many young writers of color, many of us who had our first professional gigs with him... Outside the room, he was tireless in his efforts at achieving equitable working conditions for all writers. What John gave to the writing community will endure for decades to come.

Bowman began his TV career as a writer in 1988 with Saturday Night Live, something that earned him an Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program. He shared this accolade with the likes of Mike Myers, Conan O’Brien, Bob Odenkirk, and Phil Hartman. Subsequently, he joined the crew of Keenen Ivory Wayans' comedy sketch series on Fox, In Living Color, as one of the first white writers in 1990.

However, perhaps his most notable work is on the show Martin, which he co-created with the actor-comedian Martin Lawrence. The show aired on Fox for five seasons from 1992-97, which was surprising considering the number of times the censor board took the ax to it.

John understood my vision... There wasn’t anything too big or too small that could faze him, which made working together a great experience.- Lawrence

During the '90s, Bowman also contributed to shows like It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and The Hughleys. He also helmed as an executive producer for the last four seasons of CBS' original run of Murphy Brown. He spent the remainder of his life as a part of the WGAW board of directors and teaching script form and sketch comedy writing as a member of the adjunct faculty at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts.

Bowman is survived by his wife TV writer and producer Shannon Gaughan, his children Johnny Jr., Courtney, Nicholas, Alec, and Jesse, and his siblings William, James Bowman, and Susan.