Didi O’Hearn, Veteran A+E Networks Executive, Dies at 63

Deirdre “Didi” O’Hearn, a former executive at A&E Television Networks, passed away on August 12 in hospice care in St. Augustine, Florida. She succumbed to lung cancer at the age of 63.

O’Hearn had a long and distinguished career in the cable television industry, including notable roles at WeTV and other channels. From 2014 to 2017, she served as senior vice president of programming and development for the Food Network and Cooking Channel. In this role, she was responsible for overseeing existing programming and spearheading the creation of new shows.

Throughout her career, O’Hearn was nominated for six Emmy Awards. She also served as vice president of nonfiction and alternative programming at A&E Television Networks, where she played a crucial role in developing the reality series “Gene Simmons Family Jewels,” which chronicled the lives of Gene Simmons, his wife Shannon Tweed, and their two children.

O’Hearn spent 16 years at A&E, where she was an executive producer and supervising producer for the series “Biography.” She worked on episodes that delved into the lives of notable figures such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Mike Tyson, Sylvester Stallone, and Val Kilmer, among others. Additionally, she held the positions of director of programming for the Biography Channel, and producer of programming for both the A&E Network and the History Channel during her tenure there.

Later, she took on the role of vice president of development and talent at WeTV, where she was instrumental in creating original series and specials. Some of the popular shows she helped bring to life include “Mary Mary,” “Kendra on Top,” and “L.A. Hair.” Prior to her time at WeTV, O’Hearn served as vice president at non-fiction media producer Darlow Smithson Productions.

O’Hearn is survived by her husband Richard, her children Ian and Michael, as well as her four brothers William, Robert, Michael, and Tierney. In her memory, donations can be made to the NYU Langone Health Perlmutter Cancer Center.

Source: Variety