20-05-2025
George Wendt Had Sweet Reunion with 'Cheers' Costars Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson in Final Public Appearance
George Wendt's final public appearance was alongside his Cheers costars in August 2024
Wendt died on Tuesday, May 20, at the age of 76
He was best known for his role on Cheers, in which he played Norm PetersonGeorge Wendt's final public appearance was a touching nod to one of his most beloved roles.
The late actor, who died at the age of 76 on May 20, appeared as a guest on the podcast of his Cheers costars Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson in August 2024.
During an episode of Where Everybody Knows Your Name, the trio reminisced on their memories from the set of the beloved sitcom, which aired from September 30, 1982, until May 20, 1993 — exactly 32 years to the day Wendt died.
'My agent called and said, 'You know, honey, they want you to do this Cheers,'' Wendt shared of how he got the job that gave him his big break. ''Now you're not available,' because I had this other show at Paramount for CBS. Then they go, 'But they want you to come in anyway, and it's really small, though. I go, 'Oh, okay.''
At the time, Wendt revealed he was only auditioning to say one word in the pilot, but he ended up reading for another character and landed a starring role.
Elsewhere in the Aug. 14 episode, the trio recalled a day where they played "hooky" from the show to hang out on costar John Ratzenburger's boat — it also marked the day Danson experimented with hallucinogenics and got extremely sea sick.
Wendt, who played Norm Peterson, recalled that the cast "were in such trouble" afterwards for playing hooky. "I didn't think anyone would give a s---," he said.
"They called us in, one at a time, to give a s--- the next day," Danson added.
Two months prior to his interview with Harrelson and Danson, Wendt made another appearance as a guest on Steve Kmetko's Still Here Hollywood podcast, where he reflected on his career in comedy and what he thought of his nephew Jason Sudeikis' career.
In his interview, he praised the Ted Lasso star's success.
'It was Letterman or Conan, he said, 'Did your uncle George have any advice for you?'" Wendt remembered. 'And Jason goes — he's so sharp — he goes, 'Yeah he told me just get on the best show on television and one of the greatest shows of all time and just pretty much take it from there.' And he goes, 'So I did.''
Wendt added: 'He got on SNL.'
The proud uncle continued to gush during his chat with Kmetko. 'He's such a great kid,' Wendt said of Sudeikis, who is the son of Wendt's sister Kathy. "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 mesh, so smart, so thoughtful. I mean, it all comes out in the show. Right?'
In June 1, 2024, Wendt appeared with Sudeikis, actor and comedian Robert Smigel and NFL star Travis Kelce during 2024 Big Slick Celebrity Weekend in Kansas City, Missouri.
Smigel and Wendt reprised their roles from their iconic Saturday Night Live sketch, "Bill Swerski's Superfans," and teased Kelce over his relationship with Taylor Swift.
Wendt joked that Kelce that Swift should fund a new stadium for the Chiefs. 'What's a few hundred million to Taylor? Wendt joked. "That's what four tickets cost to her concert anyway."
On Tuesday, May 20, Wendt's publicist, Melissa Nathan, confirmed his death in a statement to PEOPLE.
'Beloved actor and comedian, George Wendt, best known for starring in the NBC hit comedy Cheers, has passed away,' it read. 'George's family confirmed the news of his death early Tuesday morning, announcing he died peacefully in his sleep while at home.'
'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,' it continued. 'The family has requested privacy during this time.'
In a statement to PEOPLE, Danson said he's "devastated to hear that Georgie is no longer with us."
"I am sending all my love to Bernadette and the children," Danson said. "It is going to take me a long time to get used to this. I love you, Georgie."
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Wendt was born in Chicago in 1948 and got his start in comedy at Chicago's The Second City theater in 1974. It was there that he met his wife, to whom he was married for 47 years. The pair shared three children: Hilary, Joe, and Daniel.
He was also one of nine children, and his sister Kathryn is the mother of actor and comedian Jason Sudeikis.
Before Cheers, Wendt's earliest roles included small parts on series such as Hart to Hart, Soap, Taxi and M*A*S*H. He also appeared in a handful of films, including My Bodyguard, Jekyll and Hyde... Together Again and Airplane II: The Sequel.
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