Bill Tull, who worked with Conan O’Brien from Late Night to his eponymous TBS talk show, has died. O’Brien confirmed the news on Twitter. “Bill Tull, our prop master extraordinaire for 28 years, died this morning,†he wrote. “We always asked the impossible of Bill, sometimes minutes before showtime, and he always delivered. He was a warrior and a legend. Rest In Peace, Bill, and eternal thanks.†Tull first got camera time during the 2008 WGA strike, as O’Brien was interviewing crew members in lieu of written jokes. Tull showed off his collection of disused Triumphs, a blunderbuss, and an Oscar getting a prostate exam.
After that, Conan’s various shows would check in with Tull from time to time, with suggestions of holiday specific tips. Tull weighed in on Cinco de Mayo, weddings, and budget Halloween costumes among many others. Tull even followed O’Brien into the podcasting sphere, appearing on Inside Conan alongside fellow prop master John Rau. Andy Richter remembered Tull as the type of person to drop everything and help someone out of a jam. “I know it’s a tv cliché that crews become family, but I wouldn’t know what else to call Bill,†he tweeted. “He was in my life for almost 30 years, and I loved him a lot.â€