Comedian Patton Oswalt breaks silence on sudden death of his wife Michelle McNamara in beautiful Twitter tribute

 1 May 2016 |

Comedian and actor Patton Oswalt has broken his silence on the death of his wife, crime writer Michelle McNamara, in a short tribute he posted to Twitter on Friday.

'She wrote lines that stung & hummed. 13 years in her presence was happily humbling. #RIPMichelleMcNamara,' he tweeted.

He also shared a link asking for donations 826LA, a writing and tutoring nonprofit that provides homework assistance and writing workshops to children, The New York Daily News reported. 

Comedian and actor Patton Oswalt (left) has broken his silence on the death of his wife, crime writer Michelle McNamara (right), in a short tribute he posted to Twitter on Friday

'She wrote lines that stung & hummed. 13 years in her presence was happily humbling. #RIPMichelleMcNamara,' he tweeted

McNamara died in her sleep at her home in Los Angeles on Thursday, according to Oswalt's publicist. McNamara was 46 years old. 

No cause was given but Kevin McLaughlin of Main Stage Public Relations said her passing 'was a complete shock to her family and friends, who loved her dearly'.

It could be months before officials know why McNamara died, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Her husband, 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 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. 

McNamara (right) and Oswalt (left), has died in her sleep on Thursday, according to a publicist for Oswalt. She was 46. Pictured above is the couple in 2012

McNamara is survived by Oswalt, who she married in 2005, and their seven-year-old daughter, named Alice. The couple is pictured above in 2011

'I wanted to get more involved in the cases that were fueling my own curiosity,' the mother-of-one said.

She didn't focus on the big celebrity murder case but ones that were smaller and out of the public eye. 

'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,' she said in a 2007 interview, according to Variety. 

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,' she said. 

McNamara and Oswalt married in 2005. Besides her husband, McNamara is survived by a seven-year-old daughter, Alice.