David A. Arnold, 'Fuller House' Writer, Mourned by Comedy World

The comedy world is grieving Thursday following the news that showrunner, actor, writer and stand-up comedian David A. Arnold has died. He was 54.

Arnold starred in two recent Netflix specials: It Ain't for the Weak, which aired in July, and Fat Ballerina, which premiered on the streaming service in 2019. He was also a writer and producer for the Fuller House reboot.

The comedian's family confirmed Arnold's death in an emailed statement.

"It is with great sadness that we confirm the untimely passing of our husband, father, brother and friend, David A. Arnold," they wrote. "David passed away peacefully [on Wednesday] in his home and doctors have ruled the cause of death due to natural causes. Please keep our family in prayer and respect our privacy at this time as we are all shocked and devasted by this loss."

As of Thursday afternoon, Arnold's website and social media pages had not been updated to announce the news of his death. His IMDB page, however, stated that he was born in 1968 and died in 2022.

In addition to his Netflix specials, Arnold worked on series like Tyler Perry's House of Payne, The Rickey Smiley Show and Meet the Browns. He was a fixture of the Los Angeles comedy circuit and known for his stand-up on platforms like BET and HBO.

Arnold also served as the creator and showrunner of That Girl Lay Lay on Nickelodeon, "which was a top ten most streamed show when it also premiered on Netflix," his publicist told Newsweek via email.

He is survived by two daughters, Ashlyn Elizabeth and Anna Grace, and his wife, Julie L. Harkness. Hours before Arnold's death, he mentioned his family in a tweet.

"I'll never forget the day my oldest decided between my wife and me who she was gonna send to the nursing home," he wrote Wednesday evening. The tweet included a clip of one of his routines in which he says his "biggest fear is being sent to the nursing home."

Fellow comedians and actors took to Twitter early Thursday to mourn, including Emmy Award-winning comedian and host Loni Love.

"My brother is gone... thank you for the laughs, the encouragement and the inspiration.. my love and prayers to his lovely wife Julie and his beautiful daughters... we are all heartbroken," Love wrote.

Fellow Fuller House writer-and-producer Bryan Behar described Arnold as a "beloved" team member.

"Devastated to hear of the passing of David A. Arnold," Behar said in a tweet. "He was a beloved member of our Fuller House writing team, one of the funniest comedians I've ever seen & an all-around wonderful man. David was finally experiencing the fruits of decades of work. May his memory be a blessing."

Stand-up comedian, podcaster and actor Bobby Lee also described feeling "heartbroken" by the news.

"I've known you for 20 years," he said of Arnold. "An amazing human and comic. Heartbroken."

Arnold's best friend, fellow comedian Chris Spencer, said the multi-talented actor will be missed, particularly among his "comedy fraternity."

"Our closely knit comedy community mourns the loss of one of the greatest to ever do it," Spencer wrote to Newsweek. "He was admired by his peers, respected by other veterans, and revered by the burgeoning comedians that he mentored."

Newsweek reached out to Arnold's manager for comment.