Beloved 'Cheers' Star Dies at the Age of 76
Beloved star of Cheers, George Wendt, died Tuesday, May 20, at the age of 76, according to Variety. He starred on Cheers for 11 years, earning six consecutive Primetime Emmy nominations for the role of Norm Peterson.
He went on to star on The George Wendt Show and frequently appeared on Saturday Night Live as Bob Swerski, one of the Chicago Superfans along with cast members Chris Farley, Mike Myers, and Robert Smigel.
'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," said his publicist Melissa Nathan in a statement.
Prior to his success on television, Wendt came up in Chicago's The Second City in the 1970s. After his TV success, he got back to his stage roots.
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In 1998, he starred alongside David Dukes and Stacy Keach in the London West End production of Art. He later reprised the role on Broadway opposite Judd Hirsch and Joe Morton. On Broadway, he also played Santa in Elf the Musical, and played Edna Turnblad in several productions of Hairspray in Canada.
In 2014, he co-starred with his wife, Bernadette Birkett, in a Kansas City-area production of Never Too Late. A year later, he starred with Tim Kazurinsky in Funnyman at the Northlight Theatre in the Chicagoland area. He later reprised the role of Edna Turnblad in a Baltimore production of Hairspray. Wendt also played Willy Loman in the famous Arthur Miller play Death of a Salesman in Canada in 2017.
In 2023, Wendt returned to television briefly when he competed on season 9 of The Masked Singer as "Moose." He was eliminated in 11th place out of 21 contestants.
Wendt is survived by his wife, Birkett, of 47 years, and three children, Hilary, Joe and Daniel, and stepsons Joshua and Andrew. Wendt was also the uncle of Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis; Sudeikis' mom, Kathy, was Wendt's sister. Notably, Wendt's Cheers wife, Vera Peterson, was never seen on screen — it was a running gag on the show — but Vera was voiced by Wendt's wife, Birkett.
When Sudeikis really hit superstardom with Ted Lasso, Wendt said on an episode of Still Here Hollywood that he could not be prouder of his nephew.
'He's such a great kid. Very proud. Proud especially, you know, not only of the success, but he's solid. Have you read profiles and stuff? I mean he is such a mensch, so smart, so thoughtful. I mean, it all comes out in the show. Right?'
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