his is sad news for the TV writing community. Veteran comedy writer/producer and screenwriting teacher Eunetta T. Boone, who created the 2001 comedy series One on One, has passed away suddenly from an apparent heart attack. Boone, who was found unresponsive in her Los Angeles home on Wednesday morning, was 63.
At the time of her death, Boone was working as executive producer and showrunner on the third season of Disney Channel’s hit sitcom Raven’s Home, starring and executive produced by Raven-Symoné. Boone joined the series full-time late last year after a stint as a consultant.
“Eunetta Boone was a wonderful person and a consummate storyteller and teacher, and through her leadership on many productions including Raven’s Home, she did so well what she enjoyed most — mentoring creative talent,” Disney Channel said in a statement. “Eunetta will be dearly missed and fondly remembered by everyone who knew her. All of us at Disney Channel grieve her passing and send our deepest condolences to her family, friends and colleagues.”
In light of Boone’s death, I hear production on Raven’s Home was shut down yesterday afternoon for the remainder of this week. The network has provided grief counselors to the cast and crew.
“My heart is heavy following the loss of Raven’s Home executive producer Eunetta Boone,” Raven-Symoné said. “Eunetta was a pioneer and an inspiration to everyone she met. She was a masterful storyteller, an empathetic leader and a beacon of light to so many. I’m sending love and my deepest sympathies to Eunetta’s family and friends and all who knew and loved her. She will be missed. Thank you for everything Eunetta.”
Raven’s Home marked a return to TV for Boone, who was a rising-star TV comedy writer in the 1990s and early 2000s, working on such popular series as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Living Single, The Parent ‘Hood, The Hughleys and My Wife and Kids.
Boone, who was in high demand for staffing, had the distinction of having served as co-executive producer simultaneously on two hit series, My Wife & Kids starring Damon Wayans and Tisha Campbell-Martin, and The Hughleys starring DL Hughley and Elise Neal.
That led to Boone creating and executive producing her own successful multi-camera comedy series, One on One starring Kyla Pratt, which aired on UPN for five seasons, sold into syndication and spawned a spinoff series, Cuts, starring Marques Houston and Shannon Elizabeth.
For six years after the end of One on One, Boone was a screenwriting instructor with an emphasis in comedy writing for The UCLA Extension Writers’ Program. She also wrote a feature script, Who Is Doris Payne?
Boone began her career as a sports reporter for the Baltimore Sun, the first African American woman to cover sports in Baltimore. She graduated from the University of Maryland with a Journalism degree and received her Master of Science in Journalism from Columbia University.
She is survived by her mother, Eunice Taylor; sister, Regina Ward; nieces, Breawna Taylor, MaKenna Ward and a host of friends and family.
