Kelsey Grammer pays tribute to 'Cheers' co-star George Wendt: 'An extraordinary guy'
Kelsey Grammer is paying tribute to his former "Cheers" co-star, whose name everybody knew.
During a conversation on Gayle King's SiriusXM show "Gayle King in the House," the "Frasier" actor, 70, mourned the loss of late "Cheers" star George Wendt. Wendt, who played Norm Peterson on the classic sitcom, died on May 20 at age 76.
"George was a lovely guy," Grammer said. "It's still odd to speak of him in the past tense right now."
He continued, "I spoke to his family yesterday, just told them how much I liked him and choked up a little bit. But George was hysterical. For 11 years, America waited for him to walk into a bar every Thursday night and say something funny, and they just knew he wouldn't disappoint."
Grammer, who played psychiatrist Frasier Crane on "Cheers" and its spinoff "Frasier," added that on the show, Wendt would always "sit down at that stool and order that beer and say something that set the world on fire," concluding, "He was an extraordinary guy."
A representative for Wendt previously confirmed to Paste BN that the actor died peacefully in his sleep at home. "George was a doting family man, a well-loved friend and confidant to all of those lucky enough to have known him," the representative said. "He will be missed forever."
Wendt's death fell on the anniversary of the "Cheers" series finale, which aired on May 20, 1993. Wendt would later reprise the role of Norm in an episode of "Frasier."
Other members of the "Cheers" cast previously paid tribute to Wendt, with John Ratzenberger, who played Cliff Clavin, saying in a statement shared with Paste BN that Wendt "brought Norm to life with a subtle brilliance — the kind that made it look easy. That was his gift." He added that the actor "was a true craftsman — humble, hilarious, and full of heart. What you saw on screen was exactly who he was off screen with impeccable comedic timing and a deep loyalty to those he loved."
Ted Danson, who starred as Sam Malone on "Cheers," also said in a statement that he was "devastated to hear that Georgie is no longer with us," while Rhea Perlman, who played Carla Tortelli, said, "George Wendt was the sweetest, kindest man I ever met. It was impossible not to like him."
She continued, "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."
Contributing: Bryan Alexander and KiMi Robinson