Comedian and actor Patton Oswalt‘s wife, Michelle McNamara, a crime writer was found dead in her home in Los Angeles. McNamara was 46.

A rep for the couple said McNamara died in her sleep Thursday. No cause of death was given and her passing “was a complete shock to her family and friends, who loved her dearly.”

Advertisement

how did Patton Oswalt wife Michelle McNamara die

McNamara graduated from the University of Notre Dame and received a master’s degree in creative writing from the University of Minnesota. She founded the website True Crime Diary, which covers both breaking stories and cold cases. In a 2007 online interview, McNamara said she started the blog almost as a lark. “I wanted to get more involved in the cases that were fueling my own curiosity,” she said. She didn’t focus on the big celebrity murder case but ones that were smaller and out of the public eye. She wrote about the Golden State Killer and the 1976 murder of nurse Melanie Howell. “It’s the ones that really don’t get that much attention that interest me because I think what’s interesting about them is there’s more stuff to be unearthed that hasn’t been in the public yet and you can do it.” Oswalt is a comedian whose TV credits include “Veep,” ”Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” and “The King of Queens” and films including “Magnolia,” ”Starsky & Hutch” and “Ratatouille.” McNamara and Oswalt married in 2005. h/t abc7

how did Patton Oswalt wife Michelle McNamara die

McNamara is survived by a 7-year-old daughter, Alice.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to McNamara’s family and friends at this difficult time.