George Wendt, whose character Norm Patterson loved hanging out with his friends at the bar on “Cheers,” has died at 76.
Wendt died in his sleep at home, his family confirmed Tuesday.
“George was a doting family man, a well-loved friend and confidant to all of those lucky enough to have known him,” a spokesperson for Wendt said in a statement. “He will be missed forever. The family has requested privacy during this time.”
Wendt, who was born and raised in Chicago, got his start with the improv group Second City in 1975.
“Wendt famously dropped out of Notre Dame with a 0.0 GPA after moving to an off-campus apartment with no car to get to class in the dead of winter,” Wendt’s page on the Second City website reads. “Wendt joined The Second City Mainstage in 1975 for the revue ‘Once More with Fooling’ after having served time in The Second City Touring Company. After a year, he was sent back to the Touring Company for further ‘seasoning’ and brought back to the Mainstage in 1978 for ‘Freud Slipped Here.’”
