The corner stool George Wendt occupied was empty, but it didn’t feel that way. On Tuesday night, Boston’s Cheers Bar, welcomed longtime fans, teary-eyed tourists, and former co-stars of Cheers who gathered to remember George Wendt, the beloved actor who played Norm.
The man behind the bar’s most famous regular passed away at 76, leaving behind a character who still holds a special place in people’s hearts even three decades after the final episode. People came from Chicago to Boston to pay their respects.
Fans and colleagues made a toast to him in the ‘Cheers’ bar
Inside the Beacon Street bar, a framed photo of Wendt stood next to a fresh pint of beer, his usual topped with foam. A small sign read: “Thank you for all the laughs.” It wasn’t much, but it was honest and fitting for Wendt. “He was the rock of the show,” said Joyce Kulhawik, former WBZ-TV entertainment anchor, who covered the Cheers finale 32 years ago to the day. “George may have been from Chicago, but he looked right at home in Boston.”
Fans gathered around the bar, some from California, others from Texas, even a few from across the Atlantic. Most had the same thought: if Norm had a final call, they were going to be there for it. They ordered drinks, swapped stories, and laughed like old friends. “I didn’t even know he passed until we came down here,” one visitor said. “So we raised our glasses for Norm. It felt right.”
Fans come into the ‘Cheers’ bar to ask for his famous stool
For 11 seasons, Norm sat at the same stool. He cracked jokes, ducked work, and became a symbol of comfort for millions. When someone shouted, “Norm!” It wasn’t just about one man; it was about being welcomed, being known, being part of something.
Bar staff and patrons alike remembered how often tourists would walk in asking, “Where’s Norm’s seat?” Frank Irizarry, who works at the bar, admitted he hadn’t watched Cheers until he started working there. Now, even as a newcomer to the show, he gets it. “Norm made Cheers,” he said. “He wasn’t trying to be anything but himself—and people loved that.”