'Homeland' writer-producer passes away

Homeland executive producer/writer Henry Bromell has passed away following a heart attack.

Bromell, who served on the show's six-member writing staff since it began, also worked on Northern Exposure, Homicide: Life on a Street, Chicago Hope, Rubicon and Showtime’s Brotherhood.

"We were lucky to work with Henry on and off for the past 18 years. He was a supremely talented writer and as kind and warm a person as you could ever meet. He will be deeply missed at the studio and on Homeland. Our hearts and prayers go out to his wife and children," said  Twentieth Century Fox TV and Fox 21 said in a statement released this morning.

Bromell had spent the last few months talking to new writers in preparation for the show's upcoming new season, including James Yoshimura, who worked with Bromell previously on Homicide.

Bromell had been stunned by the success of Homeland and brought a unique approach to the project, as his father had worked for the CIA, giving him an inside look at how the intelligence work operates.

“When we were writing the first season, we had no idea this would hit the zeitgeist. We were trying to write a really good television show. The last time this happened to me was on Northern Exposure. First it was the reviews, and then it was President Obama is watching. It’s cool, but then it’s, ‘Oh god, now we’re going to let everyone down,’” Bromell said in 2012.

Our thoughts go out to his family and friends.