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THE ACTOR "WILL BE MISSED FOREVER" 21:43, 20 May 2025 George Wendt has died at the age of 76. He is renowned for his role as Norm Peterson in the hit American sitcom Cheers, which
ran from 1982 until 1993. Earlier today, the actor, who is the uncle of Ted Lasso actor Jason Sudeikis, died in his sleep at home. The news was confirmed by his family in a statement made to
the Hollywood Reporter. It said: "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." George is survived by his wife Bernadette Birkett and their three children: Hilary, Joe, and Daniel. Taking to social media, one fan paid
tribute to the late star: "George Wendt, beloved for his role as Norm on Cheers, has died at 76. With a beer in hand and a heart of gold, he made millions feel like regulars. A true
legend of TV comfort and comedy." More added to the conversation on X: "Very sad news. Cheers had one of the all-time great ensemble casts." A third wrote: "Norm was my
favorite character on Cheers. This one hurts…" Article continues below His death comes exactly 32 years after the final episode of Cheers aired. Wendt appeared in every episode until it
was taken off air in May 1993. The finale episode, titled One for the Road, saw over 40 million viewers tune in. Set in a Boston bar, the series revolved around the lives of its staff and
regular customers. The show's theme song "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" is renowned world-wide for capturing the warm, heartfelt feeling to the series. The series received
an overwhelming amount of positive reception from its viewers, winning 28 Primetime Emmy Awards. The series also had a successful spin-off show, called Frasier, which ran for 11 seasons.
Hailing from Chicago and brought up on the South Side, George first made waves in the 1970s with Second City, the renowned improv comedy group from his neck of the woods reports, The Mirror.
He later became a familiar face on Saturday Night Live as Bob Swerski, one of the "superfans" who would congregate at Coach Mike Ditka's eatery in the Windy City to cheer on
"Da Bears." The late actor's filmography includes roles in Dreamscape (1984), House (1985), Fletch (1985), Gung Ho (1986), Plain Clothes (1987), Never Say Die (1988), Guilty
by Suspicion (1991), Forever Young (1992) and Spice World (1997). Article continues below Additionally, he portrayed the cantankerous dad of a son (played by Macaulay Culkin) with a penchant
for blaring music in Michael Jackson's iconic 1991 "Black or White" music video, directed by Jon Landis. One of his final appearances on the small screen came about in 2023,
when the late dad-of-three appeared on competed in season nine of The Masked Singer US. George sung as "Moose", where he was mostly sitting during the performance, and was
eliminated on "'80s Night" alongside Christine Quinn of Selling Sunset fame as "Scorpio.