The television writer and producer and brother of WME’s Patrick Whitesell was 52 years old

Sean David Gerard Whitesell, a renowned television writer and producer who also acted in his career, died in Los Angeles on December 28 after a battle with glioblastoma multiforme. He was 52.

The fifth of six brothers, including WME co-founder Patrick Whitesell, Sean was born in Iowa Falls, Iowa, in 1963. He attended the University of Northern Iowa and then earned a master’s degree in finance from the University of California, San Diego. He began his acting career with notable roles, including a recurring character on the series Oz and performances on Homicide: Life on the Streetas well as the role in And the band kept playing.

Later in his career, he moved into writing and producing, serving as producer and co-executive producer of, among others, Oz, Cold Case, Black Donnellys, PerceptionAND Killing. In 2015, he was nominated for an Edgar Award for his work on Killing. He has also written and directed several short films, most recently Eddie and the Aviator (2015), which he completed despite battling an aggressive disease that he was diagnosed with in June 2014.

He was known for his love of basketball, sense of humor and devotion to his family, and enjoyed his final months surrounded by friends and family. He is survived by his wife, Maria Quiban Whitesell, son Gus, brothers John II, Christopher, Thomas, Patrick and James, and several nieces and nephews. A funeral mass will be held Jan. 2 at 10:15 a.m. at Saint Paul The Apostle Catholic Church in Los Angeles, followed by a reception at the home of his brother John. The family requests that donations be made in his name to the UCLA Brain Cancer Research Fund.