Mary-Ellis Bunim, the television producer whose “The Real World” introduced America to reality television, has died, MTV said Friday.
Bunim, 57, died Thursday in Los Angeles, after a battle with breast cancer.
With partner Jonathan Murray, Bunim/Murray Productions most recently struck gold chronicling the exploits of heiress Paris Hilton and best friend Nicole Richie lived and worked with a rural family on Fox’s “The Simple Life.”
The pair are best known for “The Real World,” the MTV series now in its 14th season featuring a group of young people of diverse backgrounds thrown together in a house for months while cameras follow their every move.
Bunim/Murray also was responsible for series like the syndicated life make-over “Starting Over” and music series ”Making the Band.”
“Mary-Ellis was a one-in-a-million partner and friend, and I will always treasure our incredible years of collaboration,” Murray said in a statement.
Before getting together with Murray in 1987, Bunim was a producer of soap operas. She is survived by a daughter, Juliana.