Kelsey Grammer Remembers ‘Cheers’ Co-Star George Wendt: “He Was Extraordinary”
Kelsey Grammer shares his thoughts on his Cheers co-star George Wendt after hearing the news of his death.
The actor is one of many that are remembering Wendt and their time working together on the NBC sitcom. During an appearance on Gayle King’s SiriusXM show, Grammer called Wendt “extraordinary” and “hysterical.”
“It was a bit of a surprise,” Grammer said.
He continued, “George was a lovely guy. I mean, it’s still odd to speak of him in a past tense right now, but it was just yesterday morning we found out. And I was just sitting writing something at the moment. I got a call. But I spoke to his family yesterday and just told them how much I liked him and, you know, choked up a little bit.”
Wendt was best known for playing beer-loving Norm Peterson across 11 seasons of the NBC sitcom. Grammer joined the series in Season 3 as Dr. Frasier Crane before departing for the spinoff Frasier.
“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 added. “He was extraordinary. He’d sort of just lope across that floor and sit down at that stool and order that beer and say something that set the world on fire.”
Wendt reprised his Cheers role in an episode of Frasier and the short-lived spinoff The Tortellis.
Other Cheers co-stars who reacted to news of Wendt included Ted Danson, Rhea Perlman and John Ratzenberger.
Danson said in a statement he was “devastated to hear that Georgie is no longer with us,” adding that it was “going to take me a long time to get used to this.”
Perlman called Wendt “the sweetest, kindest man I ever met,” and said she would “miss him more than words can say.”
Ratzenberger said he was “heartbroken to hear about the passing of my friend,” recalling that they “shared a stage, a lot of laughs, and a front-row seat to one of television’s most beloved friendships,” on the set of Cheers.
Listen to Grammer in the video below.
