Photo: Jared Brosnan/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — The passing of actor George Wendt has been rekindling local memories of when the Boston-based sitcom Cheers ruled the airwaves.
Wendt played the role of Norm Petersen, the lovable, jovial, beer-sipping Cheers regular who seemed to spend more time at the bar than at his job which ranged over the years from house painter, to accountant, to being a beer-taster.
In what became an iconic running gag on the show, each time he walked into Cheers, he would be greeted with the customary "Norm!" gleefully shouted by the customers.
Cheers ran from 1982-1993. It started out slow in the ratings but gained popularity over time. Its finale "One for the Road" drew an estimated 93 million viewers which was 40% of the U.S. population at the time.
Cheers was based on the actual bar/restaurant Bull and Finch on Beacon Street.
The Bull and Finch legally changed its name to Cheers in 2002 after making a deal with NBC.
At Cheers on Wednesday, customers were hoisting a few in memory of Wendt. "Everyone kind of wanted to be here and wanted to refresh their memories of long years passed," said one customer.
The CEO and President of Cheers Markus Ripperger said they were putting up a banner inside Cheers for fans to write messages to Norm. "The impact for Cheers, and Norm especially, George Wendt, was huge," Ripperger said. "Last night was just incredible, the shock of the news," he said. "Everyone came in as this is kind of the bastion of Cheers, especially in Boston."
For his portrayal as Norm, Wendt received six Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
He died at the age of 76 on the 32nd anniversary of when the last episode of Cheers aired.
WBZ NewsRadio's Jared Brosnan (@jaredbrosnanwbz) reports.