Dick Clair (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Clair) and Jenna McMahon (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenna_McMahon) wrote the story for "The Girls School" (aka "Garrett's Girls"). They are credited as the creators of The Facts of Life. They also created It's a Living and Mama's Family.

Clair died on December 12, 1988, of multiple AIDS-related infections at the age of 57. He was cryopreserved at the Alcor Life Extension Foundation.

This People article is from July 17, 1989.

Reruns Will Keep Sitcom Writer Dick Clair on Ice—indefinitely
https://web.archive.org/web/20110310120223/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20120770,00.html

"Hit sitcoms never pass away; they go into syndication, and the residuals from Clair's work may eventually total as much as $20 million. His estate earns $800,000 a year from reruns of The Facts of Life alone."

I wonder how much in residuals the reruns are still generating.

As 80schild.com mentioned in another thread (https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=334115):

"it's cool that the co-creator of Facts of Life Dick Clair had his body frozen when he died, with the hopes of being revived in the future. It's like something out of Seven Little Indians. #RandomFacts"

"Hit sitcoms never pass away; they go into syndication, and the residuals from Clair's work may eventually total as much as $20 million. His estate earns $800,000 a year from reruns of The Facts of Life alone."

I wonder how much in residuals the reruns are still generating.

Not to mention The Carol Burnett Show and Mama's Family--he and his writing partner Jenna McMahon created Mama based on their hatred of their own mothers.