Michael Carlton “Cal” Boyington, a TV producer and Hollywood agent best known for his work on The Osbournes, has died at the age of 53.
Boyington was found unconscious at his home in San Pedro, California, on Monday and later pronounced dead, according to his brother B.G. Dickey.
Dickey said the exact cause of death has not yet been determined, though a medical examiner believes it was likely a heart attack.
“Officials won’t know definitively until the completion of toxicology tests,” The Hollywood Reporter stated.
“Known for his boundless energy, magnetic personality, and zest for life, Cal was truly the life of every party,” a statement issued to the outlet reads.
“He possessed an extraordinary ability to light up a room and bring joy to everyone he met. Those who knew Cal would attest to his unwavering passion for living each day to its fullest.”
Boyington worked on The Osbournes from 2002 to 2005, playing a key role in the groundbreaking reality TV series that documented the lives of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne and their family. The hugely popular show turned his wife Sharon, daughter Kelly, and son Jack into household names.
The producer also worked on many US-based shows like Workaholics, R5Sons Alaska, Bible Quest, Cabo, and Baker Boys: Inside the Surge.
He was an agent at ICM Partners and Paradigm Talent Agency as a head of alternative programming.
Boyington was not married at the time of his death. He is survived by his parents, Mike Boyington and Travis “Penny” Farrar, and his younger brother.
He was partially to thank for the global success of The Osbournes, a show initially deemed an unlikely bet for reality TV that later became one of the highest-rating series in MTV history.
The Osbournes earned an average of 5.3million viewers in its first season and 7.2million with its final episode in 2005.
It changed the face of the entertainment world, paving the way for other reality shows centred around celebrities, such as Hogan Knows Best, Gene Simmons Family Jewels, and Rock of Love with Bret Michaels.
The show won a Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding reality program upon its release and followed troubling moments in the Osbourne family, including Sharon’s cancer battle and Ozzy’s near-fatal quad bike accident.
Ozzy previously revealed his family quit the show following four seasons after the effects of being constantly filmed became too much.
“The level of success that TV show got us was too much,’ the Prince of Darkness told NME in 2020.
“I’m not upset that I did it, but I wouldn’t do it again. People were going, ‘Aren’t you worried about losing your fans?’ I said, ‘I’m not worried about losing my fans - I’m worried about losing my f***ing mind.’”
