A new two-hour special chronicles the comedian's final days.
Phil Hartman was a renowned comedian on “Saturday Night Live,” but in 1998, his life was cut short after his wife killed him.
On the morning of May 28, Hartman was shot dead by his wife, Brynn, who then took her own life.
On Friday, ABC is airing a two-hour special called “The Last Days of Phil Hartman,” in which Hartman’s brother-in-law breaks his silence.
“When Brynn killed him, I think we were all in shock. We can't imagine why she would have done that,” Greg Omdahl told “20/20.”
Omdahl also offers insight into the deeply troubled Hartman marriage.
“Brynn confided in me quite a bit,” he said. “He was on ‘The Simpsons’ and ‘NewsRadio’ and he told her he could get her a part, and when he couldn't, she would get upset.”
In 2002, Inside Edition got an exclusive look inside the Hartman home in Encino, California.
The Hartmans' two children were home when their mother opened fire. Sean was 9; daughter Birgen was 6 and had to be carried out of the murder scene by police.
The children were raised by their mom's sister.
Four years ago, Birgen honored her dad by attending the “SNL” 40th anniversary celebration.
The new special also features never-before-seen home videos, showing Hartman as a doting dad.
“What makes me the happiest? Well, without a question it's being a father,” Hartman says in one video.
“I lost my sister, I lost my brother-in-law, who was wonderful,” Omdahl said. “It was like getting punched in the gut. It's something you don't get over.”
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