Just weeks before his latest show Treme debuts on HBO, TV writer and producer David Mills has died of a brain aneurysm in New Orleans at the age of 49.

Mills worked closely for years with David Simon, the now-famous creator of The Wire. Mills, a former journalist and feature writer for several major papers, began his TV writing career on Homicide, which was based on David Simon's book. He went on to write for NYPD Blue and ER, as well as Simon's The Corner and The Wire. He also created the miniseries The Kingpin in 2003. He was writing for Treme, Simon's upcoming New Orleans-based series, when he passed away yesterday.
[Pic: IMDB]