Kirstie Alley, the actress who played Rebecca Howe on Cheers, has passed away from cancer at 71, her family has confirmed. A statement posted on social media through her official accounts described her as an “incredible, fierce and loving mother”.
Starting in season six, Kirsty played the career-driven bar manager Rebecca in the NBC sitcom Cheers, which turned 40 years old this September. She starred in the show from 1987 to 1993, for which she won a Golden Globe and an Emmy in 1991. The show remains one of the most iconic sitcoms of all time.
Alley's former Cheers costars Ted Danson, Kelsey Grammer, and Rhea Perlman paid tribute to the late star instatements to Deadline.
Ted said: "I am so sad and so grateful for all the times she made me laugh. I send my love to her children. As they well know, their mother had a heart of gold. I will miss her."
So where are the rest of the cast now?
Ted Danson, 74, played the character Sam “Mayday” Malone for all 11 seasons, the owner of the titular bar Cheers.
For his role in the show, Ted received two Emmys and two Golden Globe nominations and has gone on to appear in several major TV shows including Frasier, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Fargo, CSI: Crime Investigation, amongst others.
Ted has also starred in multiple movies including Three Men and a Baby, it’s sequel Three Men and a Little Lady, and the Oscar-winning Saving Private Ryan. From 2015 to 2020, Danson also voiced a character in a few episodes of MacFarlane's animated comedy American Dad! He has been married to actress Mary Steenburgen since 1995.
Diane Chambers, a sassy cocktail waitress that Sam hired after she was dumped, was played by Shelley Long. She left after five seasons and won an Emmy and two Golden Globes for her role as Diane.
After Cheers, Shelley, 73, reprised her role as Diane in the Cheers spin-off Frasier, for which she was nominated for another Emmy. In the 90s and early 2000s, Shelley portrayed Carol Brady in The Brady Bunch Movie and follow up films.
She has since appeared in eight episodes of Modern Family and the 2021 film The Cleaner.
Rhea Perlman, 74, portrayed the sharp-tongued waitress Carla Tortelli for all 11 seasons, winning four Emmys. She has gone on to appear in huge shows like Frasier, Ally McBeal and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
She has also starred in iconic cult classic films like Matilda (which was directed by her husband Danny DeVito), Class Act and Sunset Park. Rhea was married to Danny from 1982 to 2012, though they’ve never formally divorced. They share three children together.
Rhea has recently appeared in series such as The Mindy project, Me and My Grandma and The Goldbergs, and in 2022 starred in the musical film 13. Next year, she’ll be in the Barbie film with Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling.
John Ratzenberger, 75, portrayed the mailman and frequent Cheers customer Cliff Clavin, earning him two Emmy nominations. As well as his on-screen roles, John’s most iconic legacy is his work with Pixar.
He voiced Hamm in the first-ever Pixar movie, Toy Story, and has had a voice role in every single one since, until 2020's Soul. Besides Hamm, his other famous Pixar roles include the Abominable Snowman in Monster's Inc. the Underminer in Incredibles and Incredibles 2 and Mack in the Cars franchise.
George Wendt played Norman “Norm" Peterson, a loyal customer at Cheers. George earned six Emmy nominations for his role as Norm. Throughout his career George, 73, has starred in various television shows as well as his own self-titled series The George Wendt Show.
In the past few years, George has also been in notable movies, co-starring in comedy films such as Grand-Daddy Day Care and Americanish. He has been married to actress Bernadette Birkett since 1978 and his nephew is also the famed Ted Lasso creator Jason Sudeikis.
Kelsey Grammer joined Cheers in season 3 as psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane, earning him two Emmy nominations. Kelsey, 67, went on to continue his role in the spin-off series Frasier, which lasted another 11 seasons, meaning Grammer played Frasier for a total of 20 years. He was nominated for 10 Emmys for Frasier, winning three.
Grammer has since appeared on numerous sitcoms such as Modern Family, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, 30 Rock, and Carol's Second Act. He also voices Sideshow Bob in The Simpsons. He has gone on to star in many big-name film franchises including X-Men, Transformers and The Expendables.
From season four, Woody Harrelson portrayed the country bartender Woody Boyd, winning him an Emmy.
Woody, 61, is now an Oscar-nominated actor, having starred in memorable movies including Zombieland, Friends with Benefits and the Hunger Games, and will be in the upcoming 2023 sports film "Champions."
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