Alan Gross, ad man and ‘Lunching’ playwright, dead at 76

Alan Gross, who worked for the Chicago-based international advertising agency Leo Burnett before his 1977 comedy “Lunching” helped the Second City-trained playwright temporarily exit the advertising world, died Aug. 25 at age 76. (Provided)

Alan Gross, Chicago ad man turned playwright and poet, died Aug. 25 of respiratory failure, according to his wife Norma. He was 76.

Mr. Gross grew up in Skokie and attended Evanston Township High School before getting a degree in journalism from the University of Missouri. During his youth, his younger brother Gary Gross said the two bonded over comedy despite their eight-year age difference, adding he was “always learning” something from his “brilliant and intellectual” older brother.