Martin Mull, actor from “Clue” and “Arrested Development”, dies at the age of 80

Martin Mull, the comedian, singer, songwriter and painter who was best known for his roles in “Arrested Development,” “Clue” and “Roseanne,” died on Thursday at the age of 80.

His death was announced Friday evening in an Instagram post by his daughter Maggie.

“It breaks my heart to share that my father passed away at home on June 27th after a brave battle with a long illness,” she wrote. “He was known for excelling in every creative discipline imaginable, including his Red Roof Inn commercials. He thought this joke was funny. He was always funny.”

“My father will be sadly missed by his wife and daughter, by his friends and colleagues, by fellow artists, comedians and musicians and – the mark of a truly extraordinary person – by many, many dogs. I loved him infinitely,” she concluded.

Mull initially found success as a songwriter, writing “A Girl Named Johnny Cash” for Jane Morgan, which reached number 61 on the country charts.

As a solo guitarist, he has performed as a support act for headliners such as Billy Joel, Randy Newman, Frank Zappa and Bruce Springsteen.

In 1976, he first gained national recognition as an actor with his portrayal of Garth and Barth Gimble in “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman” and landed roles in the spin-offs “Fernwood 2 Night” and “America 2 Night.”

His best known roles included the role of Colonel Mustard in the 1985 comedy “Clue” and later that of detective Gene Parmesan in the comedy series “Arrested Development”.

A guest appearance on “Veep” in 2016 eventually earned Mull an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor.

He also voiced the famous Red Roof Inn commercials with the words, “We leave the lights on for you.”

Mull is survived by his third wife, Wendy Haas, whom he married in 1982, and their daughter Maggie, a television screenwriter and producer.