On May 20, Wendt’s publicist Melissa Nathan confirmed in a statement to PEOPLE that the late actor died at age 76
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NEED TO KNOW
- George Wendt died on the 32nd anniversary of the ‘Cheers’ finale
- Over the course of his career, the late actor has reflected on his iconic character Norm Peterson and the memories he’s formed with the cast
- From his audition to how he and the cast celebrated the series finale, here’s everything Wendt has said about the beloved show
George Wendt, known for his beloved portrayal as Norm Peterson on Cheers, has died on the 32nd anniversary of the series finale.
The actor died on the morning of Tuesday, May 20 at age 76. In a statement to PEOPLE, his publicist Melissa Nathan confirmed, “Beloved actor and comedian, George Wendt, best known for starring in the NBC hit comedy Cheers, has passed away.”
“George’s family confirmed the news of his death early Tuesday morning, announcing he died peacefully in his sleep while at home,” the statement continued. “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,” it concluded.
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Wendt’s death comes after he and his former costar John Ratzenberger, who played Cliff Clavin on the hit NBC sitcom, reunited to celebrate the 30 year anniversary of the finale in 2023 to say goodbye yet again to the iconic bar, which was up for auction in Dallas.
“It was fantastic, so great to see the bar,” Wendt told news outlet WHDH 7 of visiting the before before it went into new ownership.
At the time, the late actor revealed that the cast still stayed in touch but admitted, “We catch each other in bits and pieces. It’s kind of hard. It’s like herding cats trying to get us all together.”
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The actual Cheers set was based on the Bull and Finch Pub in Boston. The show, which aired on NBC from 1982 to 1993, followed the locals that frequented that locale, and also starred Ted Danson, Shelley Long, Woody Harrelson, Rhea Perlman and Nicholas Colasanto.
Wendt became a household name for his portrayal of Norm and went on to become a six-time Emmy nominee over the course of the show’s run.
In GQ‘s 2012 oral history of the legendary sitcom, Wendt confessed that he didn’t have high hopes when he initially auditioned for the role. At the time, he had spent six years in Chicago’s renowned Second City improv troupe before landing the part that would change his life.
“My agent said, ‘It’s a small role, honey. It’s one line. Actually, it’s one word.’ The word was ‘beer,'” he recalled. “I was having a hard time believing I was right for the role of ‘the guy who looked like he wanted a beer.’ So I went in, and they said, ‘It’s too small a role. Why don’t you read this other one?’ And it was a guy who never left the bar.”
When the series inevitably ended in 1993, Wendt recalled visiting the Bull and Finch Pub to commemorate the special occasion with his costars. Though the beer the cast drank on set was always nonalcoholic, the late actor confessed he and the cast was “tipsy” as the watched the finale and then appeared on The Tonight Show immediately after.
″We had been drinking heavily for two hours but nobody thought to feed us,” Wendt told the Beaver County Times of Pennsylvania in 2009. “We were nowhere near as cute as we thought we were.”
After spending 11 years together, the cast became very close and formed a bond that lasted beyond the series finale.
