‘Cheers' Actor George Wendt's Cause Of Death Revealed
The cause of death for Cheers star George Wendt is now known. The actor died from cardiac arrest, according to the death certificate obtained by TMZ.
The certificate, released by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, lists cardiac arrest, congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, and hypertension as underlying causes. Additional contributing conditions listed include end-stage renal disease or kidney failure, and hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol).
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Wendt died peacefully in his sleep while at home on May 20, according to a family representative. He was 76.
Wendt was on Cheers for the entirety of the show's epic run from 1982–1993. On a series full of beloved characters, his Norm Peterson was arguably the most beloved, with his entry into a scene announced each time as all the bar's patrons exclaimed, 'Norm!' What followed was usually a setup from one of his co-stars followed by a snappy one-liner from Norm.
As a result of that performance, Wendt earned six consecutive Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, but never won.
Wendt was on Cheers for the entirety of the show's epic run from 1982–1993. On a series full of beloved characters, his Norm Peterson was arguably the most beloved, with his entry into a scene announced each time as all the bar's patrons exclaimed, 'Norm!' What followed was usually a setup from one of his co-stars followed by a snappy one-liner from Norm.
As a result of that performance, Wendt earned six consecutive Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, but never won.
Prior to his work on Cheers, Wendt had a memorable turn on M*A*S*H, as well as appearances on Taxi, Soap and Alice.
On Broadway, Wendt appeared as Yvan in Art (1998), as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray (2002), Santa in Elf (2010) and Joe Bell in Breakfast at Tiffany's (2013).
Last year, Wendt joined Dan Aykroyd, Jim Belushi, Jon Lovitz, and Kevin Nealon in A History of the World in Six Glasses for Fox Nation. The show, from former Cheers EP Rob Long, chronicled the history of beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, soda and their respective impact on the world.
Tom Tapp contributed to this report.
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