The death has occurred of Bob Newhart, a comedian and actor who won several awards. He was 94 years old.

In a press statement that was obtained by PEOPLE, Jerry Digney, Newhart’s publicist, announced that the actor passed away on Thursday, July 18, in his home in Los Angeles, after a series of short illnesses.

The well-known actor has been working in the entertainment industry for over sixty years, but he was most well-known for his roles in the CBS television sitcoms The Bob Newhart Show (1972–1978) and Newhart (1982–1990).

The comedian, who was born George Robert Newhart on September 5, 1929 in Oak Park, Illinois, went to Loyola University and served in the Army before going on to become an accountant. However, Newhart decided to try his hand at comedy in Chicago in the late 1950s, and he became an immediate sensation with that decision.

The year 1959 was the year when Newhart made history with the publication of The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart. The first comedy album released by Newhart was able to achieve the highest position on the Billboard album list, which resulted in his being awarded two Grammy Awards: Album of the Year and Best New Artist.

According to his obituary, which Digney tweeted, he reportedly made a joke that went something like this: “In 1959, I gave myself a year to make it in comedy; if it didn’t work out, I went back to accounting to make a living.”

After achieving success with his comedy album, he went on to pursue a stand-up comedy career that lasted for a total of twelve years until landing six seasons on The Bob Newhart Show. After that, Newhart was nominated for a number of Emmys and Golden Globes for his work on the show. During the years that followed, the actor had roles in the television series Newhart, which ran from 1982 to 1990, and George and Leo, which ran from 1997 to 1998. After that, he went on to steal movies like Legally Blonde 2 and Elf.

During the early stages of his career, Newhart was nominated for seven Emmys, the first of which was in 1962 for his work as a writer on The Bob Newhart Show. In addition, he received nominations for his acting. Due to his recurring role on The Big Bang Theory, he was nominated for an Emmy for the first time in 2013, and he received two further nods in 2014 and 2016. He was also nominated for an Emmy for his cameo performances on the television show ER and the film The Librarian: The Curse of the Judas Chalice, which was produced by TNT.

When asked about his remarkable career and the lasting impact he has had, the actor revealed his thoughts in November of 2020, saying, “I have a feeling that when it’s all done… And you go up—[if] I’ve been elevated to go to heaven—and there is a God, and he asks you, “What did you do?” and you go up. When I tell him, “I made people laugh,” he responds by saying, “Yeah, go in that very short line over there.”

An amazing life has been bestowed to me via comedy. In his obituary, he was quoted as saying, “When I first started out in stand-up comedy, all I remember is the sound of laughter.” It’s one of the most beautiful noises in the whole universe.

His passing comes after the passing of his wife, Ginnie, whom he had married in 1963. His death occurred in April of 2023. People was informed by Newhart’s publicist at the time that she had passed away “after a long term of illness.”

Four of Newhart’s children, including sons Robert and Timothy, daughters Jennifer and Courtney, and 10 grandkids, were able to outlast their father.

By Elen

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *