George Wendt, best known for playing Norm on Cheers, dies aged 76

Media | The Guardian · Benjamin Lee · last updated May 20, 2025 – 9:33 PM

Emmy-nominated comedian and actor, best known for role in long-running sitcom, was also in Family Guy and Frasier

A man walked into a bar – and every Cheers episode, George Wendt’s Norm made it funny

George Wendt, the actor best known for playing Norm in long-running sitcom Cheers, has died at 76.

His death was confirmed by his publicist in a statement.

here today, more tomorrow

We’ve launched briefing.center with a focus on the press and media.

And we’ve added Citizen Cartwright, a daily quick-read news summary by veteran Washington journalist Linda Cartwright. We’ve also created a new voting rights knowledge center for Citizen Cartwright subscribers. (You can sign up for a dedicated morning email at citizencartwright.com.)

You can sign up here for full access to press and media and Citizen Cartwright on briefing.center.

You can use briefing.center as the center of your information management, or just one of your tools. We’re happy to discuss your information needs.