Cheers star's cause of death exposed after sad sudden death
George Wendt died in his home at the age of 76 on May 20, and police have now released medical details
Cheers legend George Wendt's cause of death has been revealed two weeks after the actor died suddenly in his sleep at the age of 76. According to a Los Angeles County Department of Public Health death certificate, Wendt died of a cardiac arrest on May 20.
TMZ obtained the certificate, which also lists the underlying health conditions he had including congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, and hypertension. End-stage renal disease, kidney failure, and hyperlipidemia (a condition involving high levels of fat in the blood) also could have contributed to his death. The certificate states that Wendt was pronounced dead at 10am on May 20, and he was cremated on May 28.
Wendt was a fixture on American television for over a decade. He is best known for his role as Norm Peterson on NBC's Cheers, where he earned six consecutive Emmy nominations for his portrayal of the cheerful barfly.
The actor appeared in every episode of the long-running sitcom from 1982 to its finale in 1993 with his signature opening, "Afternoon everyone!"
In a 2021 interview with Chicago Magazine, Wendt said: "Norm is just me with better writing. There were hundreds, if not thousands, of actors who could have delivered on the absolute gems that I was handed on a silver platter every Wednesday morning."
Wendt's passing came just six months after he was seen looking frail while being wheeled out of a dialysis clinic in California on the exact anniversary of the Cheers finale.
After the news of his death broke, he was flooded with tributes by fans and former co-stars. Ted Danson, who played bartender Sam Malone on the series, told People magazine: "I'm devastated to hear that Georgie is no longer with us. 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."
Wendt's family also released a public message, which read: "George was a doting family man, a well-loved friend and confidant to all of those lucky enough to have known him. He will be missed forever. The family has requested privacy during this time."
Cheers became a cultural phenomenon over its 11 season run, and won 28 Emmy Awards after 117 nominations. Although the first season's ratings were poor, the show went on to become a hit and is now one of the most acclaimed sitcoms in TV history.
Wendt also had a diverse acting career beyond Cheers, with roles in Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Columbo, Wings, and Saturday Night Live's Bill Swerski's Superfans sketches.
He found his way into acting after being expelled from the University of Notre Dame because of his poor grades and getting a job sweeping theatre floors.
The sitcom star married Bernadette Birkett, who voiced Norm's off-screen wife Vera on Cheers , in 1978 and the pair went on to have three children together.
For the most part Wendt stayed out of the spotlight in his later years, but made a touching final appearance at the Emmy Awards with his Cheers castmates in January 2024.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Justin Bieber shares shock posts amid rumored marital woes as wife Hailey takes off wedding ring over weekend
Justin Bieber shared a series of clips on Instagram Stories Sunday indicating he's having a difficult time amid rumored marital issues with wife Hailey. The two-time Grammy-winner, 31, posted a series of animated clips from content creators expressing themselves in loud ways to the social media site. One of them said: 'B**** if you're giving me the silent treatment at least tell me why. I have anxiety and I have overthinking left and right they go hand-in-hand. 'If you give me any room for error, there will be error!' The posts came as his wife Hailey, a model with a successful fashion brand in Rhode was seen with her wedding ring on and off over summer's first weekend. Last month, reps for the singer issued a clear denial that he had been abused by Sean ' Diddy ' Combs when he was younger. (Bieber was among the guests in attendance at a raucous 2014 bash attended by Diddy, Cassie, Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, Kendall Jenner and a number of other celebs in shots Diddy posted and deleted more than a decade ago.) On May 15, Bieber's team issued the following statement to TMZ amid Combs' ongoing criminal trial. 'Although Justin is not among Sean Combs' victims, there are individuals who were genuinely harmed by him,' a rep for the musical artist told the outlet Thursday. 'Shifting focus away from this reality detracts from the justice these victims rightfully deserve.' Insiders close to Bieber told TMZ that he was approaching 'financial collapse' around 2022, spurring him to sell the rights to his catalogue to the company Hipgnosis Songs Capital. The outlet noted that the decision caused some tension between Bieber and his former manager Scooter Braun. Bieber in a planned musical comeback, 'needs the money and wants to work,' sources told Puck News ' Matthew Belloni in his What I'm Hearing newsletter last month, in a column making entertainment predictions for2025. Bieber 'still owes' the touring company AEG 'a ton for his canceled tour' in March of 2023, Belloni reported. The Peaches artist also has a hot of 'other pop star expenses' weighing on his bottom line. Bieber's return to the limelight will come with a new lineup of supporting staff, after he parted ways with Braun within the last two years. Braun last summer announced his retirement from music management, after past having represented superstars including Bieber, Ariana Grande and Demi Lovato. According to the newsletter, the Sorry artist is represented by lawyer Michael Rhodes, who has past represented celebrities such as Madonna and members of the Kardashian family. Bieber's financial issues come two years after he sold rights to his catalog for $200 million in 2023, in a deal the Los Angeles Times reported Rhodes was integral in. Bieber's most recent studio album was Justice in 2021. The album garnered critical acclaim and spawned successful commercial tracks such as Peaches, a Billboard Hot 200 chart-topper; and the top 10 hits Holy, Anyone and Ghost. Bieber in February of 2023 officially canceled the remainder of his Justice World Tour after the singer said he was diagnosed with the condition Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which can lead to facial paralysis. Bieber had previously had to cancel shows on the tour in the fall of 2022, explaining his absences from the stage in an emotional post on his Instagram Stories. 'Earlier this year, I went public with my battle with Ramsay-Hunt Syndrome, where my face was partially paralyzed,' he said. 'As a result of this illness, I was not able to complete the North American leg of the Justice Tour. He said that he suffered health woes after performing a set at the Rock in Rio festival. 'After getting off stage, the exhaustion overtook me and I realized that I need to make my health the priority right now,' he said. 'So I'm going to take a break from touring for the time being. I'm going to be OK, but I need time to rest and get better. 'I've been so proud to bring this show and our message of Justice to the world. Thank you for your prayers and support throughout all of this! I love you all passionately!'
Time Out
4 hours ago
- Time Out
Leave Me Alone
Located at the edge of trendy Shimokitazawa, Leave Me Alone is a space of esoteric contradiction. The softly lit venue is sparsely yet tastefully decorated, with a custom smiling flower portrait from the iconic Takashi Murakami, plus dolls created by Mr., the noted Kaikai Kiki artist. The venue is the latest venture from corporate-bigwig-turned-bar-owner Hirohisa Tamonoki. The forty-something former tech VIP from Akita prefecture opened the bar at the end of 2024, finally fulfilling 'a dream he'd left behind' after decades in the corporate world. A self-proclaimed introvert, Tamonoki aimed to create a space for people like himself who never quite fit in. He also wants to attract individuals with a passion for the music genre that reigns supreme at his bar: noise. From the disorienting percussive sounds of Japanese noise legend Merzbow to the abrasive vocals of American experimental rock band Swans, you'll get your fill of sonic brutality through track after track of harsh noise, industrial noise, noise rock and so on. The harshness of the bar's soundtrack is in contrast to the intimate nature of the space, but somehow it works. 'It's not for everybody,' says Tamonoki. 'But if you get it, you get it.' The bar's drink options are less eclectic (but no less tasty), and feature various kinds of whiskey and gin – think classics like Hakushu, Hibiki, Sakurao and Kanomori. A speciality cocktail menu is in the works and currently features mezcal negronis and seasonal fruit gin and tonics. Invitations to Leave Me Alone are strictly through DM only. If noise music is your thing and you're thinking of stopping by, request the location by contacting the bar via Instagram @leave_me_alone_bar.
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Cher's son Elijah Blue Allman is released from hospital after overdose
Cher 's troubled son Elijah Blue Allman has been discharged from the hospital following his drug overdose one week ago. Allman, 48, whom the 79-year-old music icon shared with the late Gregg Allman, was released from a Southern California facility and is recovering at home, according to TMZ. reached out to Cher's reps for comment, but did not immediately hear back. The legendary performer's younger of two children 'was rushed to the hospital in Joshua Tree, California, after overdosing earlier Saturday morning,' TMZ reported on June 14. A San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department spokesman told 'On Saturday, June 14, 2025, at about 1:25 p.m., deputies from our Morongo Basin Station responded to a residence in the 2300 block of Cambria Avenue, in Landers, for a male subject acting erratically. 'When deputies arrived, Elijah Allman, 48, was being evaluated by emergency medical personnel. Deputies located drugs inside the home and Allman was transported to the hospital. The investigation is ongoing.' It is unknown what drugs Allman was using, with an insider adding last week that he is 'very lucky to have survived.' It was said last week that Cher, full name Cherilyn Sarkisian, is focused on 'doing everything she can to get him the help he needs' and only concerned for her son's well-being. In 2014 Allman revealed he began using drugs, like weed and ecstasy, at just 11-years-old and detailed some close calls. 'I [was] just looking to escape all the things in my past and, that's when you turn to those kind of drugs, you know heroin and opiates,' he told ET at the time. He added, '[Heroin] kind of saved me … If I didn't have that at that point, I don't know what I would have done …You may jump off a bridge. If you can only just go through that time period and live through it and then get help.' Allman also recalled 'some moments of really feeling at the edge of mortality.' 'I always kind of kept it a little bit safe but you never can do that,' he explained. 'Even though you think that in your mind, of course the wrong things can happen. 'The wrong combination of things can happen and you can just slip into the abyss. I knew it was wrong and I knew that I was very unsatisfied with life at that point.' In early 2024 a judge threw out Cher's bid to have Elijah placed in a conservatorship controlled by her. She had petitioned LA Superior Court to appoint her as Elijah's temporary conservator, arguing that his drug addiction, plus mental and physical health issues, made him unable to manage the $120,000 a year he gets from a trust fund set up for him by his late father, rock star Gregg Allman. Cher said she feared he would spend his $10,000 a month payouts on drugs, putting his life in jeopardy. Judge Jessica Uzcategui refused to appoint Cher as conservator, saying that the star's attorneys had not given Elijah enough notice of the court action and refused to share confidential information with him about his case. After the brief hearing, when asked how he felt about the result, Elijah just smiled and shook his head. Cher's attorney, Gabrielle Vidal, asked the judge to waive the usual five-day notice required to inform a person of a proposed conservatorship, arguing that 'absent a (conservatorship) order today' distribution of money to Elijah from his trust fund could put him 'in a life or death position.'
