Who was Joe Gayton? Co-Creator of ‘Hell on Heels’ Dead at 66

Joe Gayton, the co-creator and executive-produced one of the popular Western Drama series Hell on Wheels, has been reported dead by his brother, Tony Gayton, who also co-wrote the series. The show aired on AMC for five straight seasons.

He died on May 14, 2023, after a four-year battle with prostate cancer at age 66. He made his Hollywood debut when he wrote Uncommon Valor starring Gene Hackman.

“Joe was one of a kind. He was passionate, creative, loud, boisterous, argumentative, unfiltered, soft-hearted, hilarious, and terrible at the politics of this cutthroat business. He was a big brother, mentor, writing partner, and best friend to me. Our hearts are shattered at his passing and we will miss him forever,” Tony Gayton said after his brother’s death.

“This sums up Joe’s passion for this work. He loved writing and creating so much that he wrote three seasons of a half-hour comedy/drama on spec. He came very close to setting it up after having written two seasons worth of material. When he failed to set it up, what did he do? He wrote another season. And he never gave up on it till the day he died,” Tony added.