RIP: GEORGE WENDT

George Wendt, an American actor and comedian who earned six consecutive Emmy nominations for his performance as Norm Peterson on the beloved NBC comedy series “Cheers,” died Tuesday morning at his home. He was 76.

Wendt’s death was confirmed by his publicist Melissa Nathan with the following statement: “George was a doting family man, a well-loved friend and confidant to all of those lucky enough to have known him. He will be missed forever. The family has requested privacy during this time.”

Originally hailing from Chicago, Wendt earned his degree in economics after traveling in Europe and North Africa as a young man, before returning to the Windy City to enroll in the Second City comedy troupe’s acting workshop, which he performed with from 1974 to 1980. He went on to feature in the NBC comedy pilot Nothing But Comedy, which brought him to Los Angeles and landed him his feature debut with My Bodyguard.

After he found widespread success with Cheers, Wendt went on to star in films like Dreamscape, Fletch, and Ron Howard‘s Gung Ho. Additionally, he starred alongside Robert De Niro and Annette Bening in Guilty By Suspicion, and had roles in the films Forever Young, The Man of the House, and The LoveMaster.

Despite his movie roles, Wendt is still best known for his television work, which, outside of Cheers, included The George Wendt Show on CBS and The Naked Truth on NBC. In recent years, the actor has rarely been seen out and about and he appeared to be in ill-health as he was seen visiting the health centre. George was seen using a wheelchair as he was assisted into a dialysis clinic and spent time in the facility...