Tributes are being paid to writer-producer Steven Sunshine, who worked on the shows The New Odd Couple and Webster, as well as the film Son of the Pink Panther. The star was 81 years old when he died on March 15 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, following a battle with progressive supranuclear palsy.

Steven also spent almost two decades as a Daytime Emmy-winning senior producer on the TV show Extra, where he secured interviews with Al Pacino, President Barack Obama and Alec Baldwin. An Extra spokesperson said in a tribute: “Our “Extra” family was hit with sad news this week. We lost a beloved member of our team who, for all of us, will forever be remembered as a ray of sunshine.

“For 18 years, Steve Sunshine was “Extra’s" star whisperer, landing exclusive interviews with everyone from Alec Baldwin to Al Pacino — even President Obama and First Lady Michelle.

“And Steve was utterly devoted to his wife, Maddie. They were the creative force behind the sitcoms Webster and Julie starring Julie Andrews, and films that included Son of the Pink Panther and Serrano: The Musical.”

Steven was born in the Bronx, in New York City, on March 9, 1945 and received his degree from the University of Buffalo.

The producer regularly worked alongside his wife of 56 years Madeline Sunshine who is also a published children's author, playwright and novelist.

The pair were behind Serrano the Musical which is a production directed by Joel Zwick which combined elements of Tony Soprano and Cyrano de Bergerac and Tony Soprano.

Steven and his wife also developed for CBS the 1989 sitcom The People Next Door.