His friend and former writing partner, John Frink, tells the Los Angeles Times (http://lat.ms/YgqVYH) that Payne had bone cancer and died Tuesday at his Los Angeles home.
Payne shared four Emmys won by "The Simpsons."
He also wrote the 2006 Uma Thurman comedy "My Super Ex-Girlfriend" and 2007's "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer."
