TELEVISION 'West Wing' actor's death forces changes in series

Production of the Emmy-winning show resumes next month.
ZAP2IT.COM
The death of "West Wing" star John Spencer last week will likely force a revision of the show's storyline for the rest of the season, but the producers are understandably not concerned with that yet.
Spencer, 58, who won an Emmy in 2002 for his role on the NBC series, died Friday after suffering a heart attack. He would have turned 59 Tuesday.
"The West Wing" is on a break for the holidays and will resume production in January. Nine episodes have aired thus far this season, and a spokesperson for Warner Bros. TV, which produces the show, says Spencer completed work on two others before the break (14 episodes have finished filming overall).
Spencer's character, Leo McGarry, has been a key part of the unfolding election story in the show this season. The former White House chief of staff is running for vice president on the Democratic ticket of Congressman Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits) and will be front and center in an episode scheduled for Jan. 8, when Leo debates his Republican counterpart.