Ted Danson, ‘Cheers’ Co-Stars Break Silence on George Wendt’s Death
Ted Danson, 77, has broken his silence on the death of his former Cheers co-star George Wendt. Wendt “died peacefully in his sleep” on May 20 at 76, his family confirmed.
After news of Wendt’s death broke on Tuesday, Danson shared a heartfelt statement with The New York Post through his representative. “I am devastated to hear that Georgie is no longer with us,” the statement read.“I am sending all my love to [Wendt’s wife] Bernadette and the children. It is going to take me a long time to get used to this. I love you, Georgie.”
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Rhea Perlman, who played bartender Carla Tortelli on Cheers, also shared a statement memorializing Wendt. “George Wendt was the sweetest, kindest man I ever met. It was impossible not to like him,” Perlman told the outlet. “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.”
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Wendt, Danson, and Perlman starred together for all 11 seasons of Cheers’s run, from 1982 until 1993. Wendt garnered six consecutive Emmy nominations for playing barfly Norm, while Danson earned 11 and won two. Perlman was nominated for 10 Primetime Emmy awards and won four during the show’s run.
At the 75th annual Emmy Awards in January 2024, Wendt reunited onstage along with Danson, Perlman, and fellow former cast members Kelsey Grammer, and John Ratzenberger. “This feels nice to be here in front of you,” Danson said, while Ratzenberger said the event felt like a “long overdue class reunion.”
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