'King Of The Hill' actor Johnny Hardwick, who voiced Dale Gribble, dies

Johnny Hardwick, the actor known for voicing the conspiracy-obsessed Dale Gribble on Fox’s “King of the Hill,” has died.

Hector Nieto from the medical examiner’s office in Austin, Texas, confirmed Hardwick’s death to USA TODAY. No further details were available. Deadline reported that no foul play is suspected, and a cause of death is pending per the coroner’s investigation.

Hardwick voiced Dale, the friend to lead character Hank Hill, on the Emmy-winning animated series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels. The Austin-native voiced the Texas-twanged character from the animated hit show’s debut in 1997 through the “King of the Hill” final episode in 2010. Earlier this year, Hulu announced that Hardwick would return for the series’ streaming revival, according to Deadline.

Johnny Hardwick in a group "King of the Hill" 2005 photo (back row, far right). With (back row) L-R Kathy Najimy as Peggy Hill, Stephen Root as Bill, creator and exec. producer Mike Judge as Hank Hill, guest voice David Herman. (Front row L-R:) Lauren Tom as Mihn, Brittany Murphy as LuAnne, Ashley Gardner as Nancy Gribble, Toby Huss as Cotton/Kahn and guest voice Tom Petty.

“King of the Hill” is set in the fictional town of Arlen, Texas, and follows the life of Hank (voiced by Judge), wife Peggy (Kathy Najimy) and teenage son Bobby (Pamela Adlon).

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