Breck Denny, Actor and Groundlings Comic, Dead at 34: 'He Will Be Missed Immensely'

Breck Denny made guest appearances on Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Shrink Next Door before his death at age 34

Breck Denny
Photo: courtesy IMDB

Writer and actor Breck Denny Jr. has died at 34.

Denny's family confirmed to Deadline that he died on Monday in Santa Barbara, California. He died of a rare spontaneous splenic artery rupture.

Denny is survived by his parents, Robert and Ninna, as well as sisters Liza, Carter and Louise, according to Deadline.

Denny was engaged to fiancée Emily Levitan, who works as the director of original series at Netflix. The couple announced their engagement on Instagram in July. Their Zola wedding registry indicated that they were set to wed on April 30.

PEOPLE has reached out to his rep for comment.

Denny, who spent his time in New York City and Cleveland, graduated from New York University in 2011 with a B.A. in creative writing, according to his LinkedIn. After college, he embarked on a writing and acting career that led to him joining The Groundlings Theatre & School in 2013. He eventually became a member of The Groundlings' Sunday Company, in which he wrote and performed in a weekly sketch comedy show.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

"This is a hard post, an awful devastating post to make," the Groundlings Sunday Company wrote on Instagram, sharing various clips of Denny in action.

"We lost one of our cast members, our brother. The talented funny insanely unique Breck Denny," the statement continued. "We will miss you so much but you are our family forever. Ohana means family. 💔 Rest In Peace Do-Man."

The Groundlings' primary Instagram page also shared a tribute post in Denny's honor. They acknowledged how Denny "has been a part of the Groundlings community for many years, was a fantastic performer, and was one of the nicest, funniest people you'd ever meet."

"He will be missed immensely, and our thoughts go out to his family and friends," the company added.

In addition to his work with The Groundlings, Denny was also continuing to build his acting résumé with guest roles on Curb Your Enthusiasm, Heels, Ratched and Dead to Me. He also wrote, produced and starred in a short film called The Last Piece.

His last credited role was on The Shrink Next Door, which was an Apple TV+series starring Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd.

Related Articles