‘King Of The Hill’ Fans Are Paying Tribute To Johnny Hardwick, The Voice of Dale Gribble Who Died At 64

Johnny Hardwick, the actor and comedian who voiced conspiracy theorist and pocket sand enthusiast Dale Gribble on King of the Hill, died this week. He was 64 years old. TMZ reports that law enforcement officers “were called to Hardwick’s Texas home Tuesday for a welfare check and discovered his body. We’re told Hardwick was pronounced dead at the scene.” The cause of death hasn’t been revealed yet, but no foul play is suspected.

“Johnny Hardwick was an incredibly beloved member of the King of the Hill family, whose tremendous talent, brilliant humor, and friendship will be deeply missed by all who were fortunate enough to work with him over the past 25 years,” 20th Television Animation and Hulu said in a statement. “Our deepest condolences go out to his friends and family as we mourn the loss of one of the animation greats. His voice gave life to one of our most iconic characters, and he will be truly missed.”

No list of the greatest animated characters of all-time is complete with Dale Gribble, and huge reason for that is Hardwick’s line readings. As @lennyburnham tweeted, “There’s a King of the Hill scene where the waitress asks how everyone at the table is and Dale goes ‘Jennifer, we’re fantastic!’ It’s such a non-joke but the line read is so incredible that my dad and I would quote it all the time. Johnny Hardwick had so many moments like that.”

The tributes to Hardwick poured in: