Washington DC [US], May 21 : Actor and comedian George Wendt, who earned six consecutive Emmy nominations for his performance as Norm Peterson on 'Cheers', passed away on Tuesday, reported Variety.
He was 76 years old.
As per the outlet, Wendt's death was confirmed by his publicist, Melissa Nathan. She released a statement asking for privacy for the actor's family during this tough time.
"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," as quoted by Variety.
After starting as a comedian, Wendt became a television actor after he landed his breakout role of Norm Peterson, whose regular first line, "Afternoon Everybody", became one of the fan-beloved motifs of the series, as per the outlet.
Wendth earned six Emmy nods in the supporting actor in a comedy series category during his tenure as one of the main cast members across all the seasons of 'Cheers', reported Variety.
He reprised his role in 'Cheers' spinoffs 'The Totellis' and 'Frasier'.
Tributes quickly poured in after his family confirmed that the "Cheers" star passed away on Tuesday.
His co-star Ted Danson shared a statement as quoted by Variety and wrote,
"I am devastated to hear that Georgie is no longer with us. I am sending all my love to Bernadette and the children. It is going to take me a long time to get used to this. I love you, Georgie."
Rhea Perlman, who played waitress Carla Tortelli in the series 'Cheers' shared a loving memory of her with the actor during the shooting of NBC's comedy series.
"George Wendt was the sweetest, kindest man I ever met. It was impossible not to like him. As Carla, I was often standing next to him, as Norm always took the same seat at the end of the bar, which made it easy to grab him and beat the crap out of him at least once a week. I loved doing it and he loved pretending it didn't hurt. What a guy! I'll miss him more than words can say," wrote Perlman in a statement as quoted by Variety.
The actor's immense resume of TV guest credits features titles like 'Hot in Cleveland,' 'The Twilight Zone,' 'Columbo,' 'George Lopez' and 'Fresh Off the Boat.'
Wendt is survived by his wife and three children.
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