'Norm!' 'Cheers' stars pay tribute to George Wendt: 'He will be missed by millions'

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George Wendt’s Cheers co-stars are paying tribute to the actor after his family announced his death at age 76 this week.

Wendt played wisecracking everyman Norm Peterson for 11 seasons on the beloved NBC sitcom, often being greeted by a huge cheer as he entered the bar before dispensing a sage piece of life advice.

During his stint on the show, Wendt appeared on all 273 episodes and earned six Emmy nominations for playing the barfly.

Asking for privacy, his family said he died early Tuesday morning, peacefully in his sleep while 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 family said in a statement. “He will be missed forever.”

Praise quickly poured in from Wendt’s colleagues with Ted Danson, who played Sam Malone on the series, saying he was “devastated” by the news.

“I am devastated to hear that Georgie is no longer with us,” Danson shared in a statement. “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.”

John Ratzenberger, who played Norm’s know-it-all pal Cliff Clavin, said he was “heartbroken” by Wendt’s death.

“For 11 years on Cheers, we shared a stage, a lot of laughs and a front-row seat to one of television’s most beloved friendships. George brought Norm to life with a subtle brilliance — the kind that made it look easy. That was his gift,” Ratzenberger told Variety.

“George Wendt was the sweetest, kindest man I ever met,” said Rhea Perlman, who played waitress Carla Tortelli. “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.”

NBC also shared in a statement on social media, saying that “America couldn’t wait to say hi to Norm every Thursday night.”

“George Wendt was an essential part of the genius of Cheers and he will be missed by the millions who loved him. Norm was all of us. A regular guy who finished his hardworking day wanting to be surrounded by friends and a frosty beverage. We’re proud to raise a glass and toast a true comedy legend.”

Kelsey Grammer, who played Dr. Frasier Crane on the show and an eponymous spinoff, said the Chicago-born actor was “beloved by millions.”

“I believe mourning is a private matter. But I liked George a lot. He was beloved by millions,” Grammer told USA Today. 

Initially when he auditioned for Cheers, Wendt said Norm only had one line — “Beer.”

“The casting director, the late Stephen Kolzak, I was in his office and he said, ‘There’s this role, but it’s too small. You can’t just say beer.’ So he handed me the part of Norm,” Wendt recalled in a 2017 interview with Postmedia. “It wasn’t that big, but it was the guy who always wanted another beer and didn’t want to leave. So I read for that and they were interested but I wasn’t available, oddly. I was doing a different show (Making the Grade). So they had me on the pilot as a guest star and then my other show got cancelled, so then they made Norm a regular role.”

Wendt, who was uncle to Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis, also had a recurring part on Saturday Night Live as Bob Swerski, a Chicago Bears superfan and starred on his own short-lived sitcom, The George Wendt Show.

But Wendt was happy that Cheers endured long after it had ended, telling us in 2017 that there was one little known fact from his time on the show.

“I used to be good with spitballs because the waitress station was right next to where Norm sat. There were these cocktail napkins and I used to launch spitballs across the set at Woody (Harrelson). I would wait until he had a scene with a lot of dialogue and I would just pelt him while the cameras were rolling. If you pause some of those scenes, you’ll see spitballs bouncing off his forehead,” he said.

Wendt is survived by his wife Bernadette, their three children and two stepchildren.

mdaniell@postmedia.com