The Energon Pub

[kuhlio]

In a bit of sad news for the Transformers community, writer Ron Friedman has passed away at the age of 93 on September 16th. He has numerous writing credits to his name from sitcoms like Bewitched, Starsky and Hutch, Happy Days and Gilligan's island among many others. For our community, he started working on the original G.I. Joe and Transformers cartoon where he was asked to write the script to Transfomers: The Movie and kill Optimus Prime.

Ron is survived by his wife Valeri Friedman. Our thoughts go out to her, his family, friends, and fans.

[steve2275]

ah man

[Bumblevivisector]

Woah, 2025 has been a terrible year for creators who laid so much of the foundations of our favorite franchises' fiction. Here's hoping there's not a third passing after Friedman and Shooter...unless there already was and I missed it.

[chuckdawg1999]

He lived a full and long life. Really enjoyed what he did.

[megatran]

RIP Ron.

It's my understanding Ron had health challenges in the last few years. And a gofundme to pay for the medical costs.

Still, 93 is a long life. More than most considering the impact he had on the TF legacy & fandom.

[Quantum Surge]

I got to meet him and Susan Blu at TFCon 2022, and I believe I asked them about how they would write a TF video game. From what I remember, they said that there had to be a balance between gameplay and story, which is a challenge that could probably lie in how AAA games lean on one more than the other. Regardless, it was an honor to meet Friedman, and I want to send my condolences to his loved ones.