Legendary actor Jay Thomas has sadly passed away after losing his battle with cancer.
News of his death broke on Thursday when his long-time agent and friend Don Buchwald released a statement on the family’s behalf.
“Jay was one of a kind, never at a loss for words and filled with so much fun and wonderfully whacky thoughts and behaviour,” he said.
The 69-year-old, who was best known for his work in Cheers and Murphy Brown, had long been a stalwart in Hollywood. Most recently, he played tabloid editor Marty Grossman in Ray Donovan.
Jay’s first major role saw him star alongside Robin Williams in the ‘80s sitcom, Mork and Mindy. Then, in 1987, Jay nabbed a recurring role as hockey player Eddie LeBec – and Carla Tortelli’s (Rhea Perlman) husband – in the classic series, Cheers.
In the same year, Jay married his spouse Sally Michelson. They went on to parent three children, Sam, Max and TJ.
Unfortunately, his run on Cheers ended in 1989 when his character was killed off unexpectedly. It came after the actor made some unsavoury comments about his co-star Rhea. According to a writer of the show, it was an incident on Jay’s radio show that led to his early exit.
During a segment, Jay answered a caller’s question regarding what it was like to work on Cheers.
“It’s brutal. I have to kiss Rhea Perlman,” he replied.
Ouch!
According to reports, the star was sacked shortly after the comments became known to producers. His character was killed in a freak accident.
Jay Thomas and Ted Danson in Cheers.
Despite this, Jay went on to score numerous roles in Hollywood. He was awarded a star the Hollywood Walk Of Fame in 89 and scored two consecutive Emmy Awards for his work on Murphy Brown in the ‘90s.
The hard-working star didn’t stop there. He hit the big screen in movies such as Mr. Holland’s Opus and Santa Claus 2 and 3. He also regularly appeared on Late Night With David Letterman.
Jay’s wife and children were by his side when he passed away.
