Paul Eckstein, Narcos and Godfather of Harlem Creator, Dead at 59

Paul Eckstein, an actor, writer, and producer whose work included Godfather of Harlem, Narcos, and Hoodlum, has passed away at the age of 59. His passing was announced in a statement from MGM+ and ABC Signature (via The Hollywood Reporter), revealing that he died peacefully in his sleep on Tuesday, June 6th, in Jamaica. Eckstein was in Jamaica to teach a screenwriting workshop for Strike Star Entertainment.

“We are deeply shocked and saddened by the sudden passing of our brilliant colleague, Paul Eckstein, the co-creator and executive producer of Godfather of Harlem and a beloved member of the MGM+ and ABC Signature families,” the statement reads. “Working on the series was a labor of love for Paul who based the show in part on his family’s personal history. Paul was passionate, a creative force, known for his kindness, and generosity. He was a mentor and friend to many, and he will be dearly missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and his longtime collaborator Chris Brancato.”

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Eckstein graduated with honors from Brown University with degrees in both International Relations and Creative Writing. He then became a founding member of the Naked Angels Theater Company. His first producing credit was the 1997 film Hoodlum, starring Laurence Fishburne, Tim Roth and Vanessa Williams. 

He subsequently wrote for First Wave, The Dead Zone, Street Time, and eight episodes of Law & Order: Criminial Intent. He might be best known for leading the writers room and producing the first season of Netflix’s hit series Narcos. He then produced Of Kings and Prophets, Revival, and created the MGM+ series Godfather of Harlem.

“When you talk about history, my biggest hope is that we continue to ignite this curiosity in people that they will go look at the history and discover who all these people are, and what went down, and what happened,” Eckstein explained in an interview with Den of Geek. “Because we in America, we don’t know poo about our history. And it really bothers me more and more because I see the ignorance every day, and all you got to do is go pick up a history book. But you’re not going to do that, so you get to watch my TV show. The same with Narcos. Even if you read at the beginning and know that Chris and I are masters of making great drama out of being close to the facts, you should be then going to find out and make your own determination of what really happened. If that happens, then I win, I’ve done my job. I can look to grandma and say, ‘Yeah, see grandma? Those things you told me? Didn’t forget.’”

Eckstein’s acting credits included nine appearances in the Star Trek franchise, including Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager. He also appeared in Bella Mafia, Law & Order, and The Steve Harvey Show. 

Our thoughts are with Eckstein’s family, friends, and fans at this time.