The actor played Norm Peterson on the beloved sitcom from 1982 to 1993 and died on May 20

George Wendt, best known for playing Norm Peterson on the long-running sitcom Cheers, has died. He was 76.

The actor died on the morning of Tuesday, May 20. In a statement to PEOPLE, his publicist Melissa Nathan confirmed, “Beloved actor and comedian, George Wendt, best known for starring in the NBC hit comedy Cheers, has passed away.”

“George’s family confirmed the news of his death early Tuesday morning, announcing he died peacefully in his sleep while at home,” the statement continued. “George was a doting family man, a well-loved friend and confidant to all of those lucky enough to have known him. He will be missed forever.”

“The family has requested privacy during this time.”

Actor George Wendt arrives at the Alliance For Children’s Rights 3rd annual celebrity right to laugh event at Avalon on June 12, 2012 in Hollywood, California. Allen Berezovsky/Getty

Wendt was born in Chicago in 1948. He was one of nine children; his sister Kathryn is the mother of actor and comedian Jason Sudeikis. He flunked out of Notre Dame and then worked at his father’s real estate office in Chicago before graduating from Rockhurst College.

In 1974, he started training in comedy at Chicago’s The Second City theater. There he met Bernadette Birkett, whom he married in 1978. He and his wife shared three children: Hilary, Joe, and Daniel.

George Wendt (left) and John Ratzenberger as Norm and Cliff on ‘Cheers’. NBCU Photo Bank/Getty

Although he ultimately succeeded as a comedian, he was fired by the theater once and quit once. “I sucked, basically,” he told The AV Club in 2009. “‘Sucked out loud,’ I think was the quote.” He added, “For somebody who made his living at it for six years, I’m probably the worst improviser of all time.”

Wendt’s earliest roles included small parts on series including Hart to Hart, Soap, Taxi and M*A*S*H. He also appeared in a handful of films, including My Bodyguard, Jekyll and Hyde… Together Again and Airplane II: The Sequel.

The cast of ‘Cheers’ Clockwise from left: George Wendt, Shelley Long, Kelsey Grammer, Ted Danson, John Ratzenberger, Rhea Perlman and Woody Harrelson. Gary Null/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty

In 1982, he was cast on the sitcom Making the Grade, which was canceled after six episodes. This allowed Wendt to join the cast of Cheers, which premiered the same year. His character, Norm Peterson, was a frequent customer at the bar, and one of only three characters to appear in every episode.

“My friend Pat Finn always reminds me what the audition was for Cheers: I needed to look like a guy who wanted to have another beer,” Wendt told Chicago Magazine in 2021.

“Norm is just me with better writing,” he explained. “There were hundreds, if not thousands, of actors who could have delivered on the absolute gems that I was handed on a silver platter every Wednesday morning.”

After a first season with shaky ratings, the show became a massive success. “I get a lot of free beers. It’s one of the great perks of employment history,” Wendt told The Washington Post in 1985. “Whenever I go out, people are always sending over a beer, or a round, for me and my friends.”

George Wendt hosting ‘Saturday Night Live’ in 1986. Alan Singer/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty

Wendt was a six-time Emmy nominee for his role on the series. He became very close to castmates Ted Danson, Shelley Long, Rhea Perlman, John Ratzenberger, Kelsey Grammer and Woody Harrelson.

When the series ended in 1993, Wendt’s wife told PEOPLE of the Cheers cast, “They get along like siblings. To somebody peeking in from the outside, they look like they’re having the greatest time in the world.”

When Wendt hosted Saturday Night Live in 1991, he joined Bill Swerski’s Super Fans, a sketch about a group of Bears fans discussing their favorite teams, including, iconically, “Da Bears.” Wendt’s episode was the second appearance of the group of fans, and Wendt told the Chicago Tribune in 2019, from there “It took on a life of its own.”

From left: John Ratzenberger, Kelsey Grammer, Ted Danson, George Wendt, Rhea Perlman and Kirstie Alley at Danson’s Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in 1999.. Steve Granitz/WireImage

The sketch recurred on the series multiple times, and Wendt and Robert Smigel reprised their roles at actual Bears and Chicago Bulls games for decades. Even Michael Jordan appeared in the sketch when the NBA legend hosted in 1991.

In 1995, Wendt starred on The George Wendt Show, but it was canceled after one season. “I don’t want to be Norm forever,” he told The Los Angeles Times before the series premiered — before admitting his new character was “very Norm-like.”

George Wendt in 2014. Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

Wendt played the killer in one of the final episodes of Columbo in 1995. Other TV appearances included Seinfeld, The Simpsons, the TV film Bye Bye Birdie, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Hot in Cleveland, Portlandia and Fresh Off the Boat. He also appeared in dozens of films, including Fletch, Forever Young, Spice World, Sandy Wexler and Grand-Daddy Day Care.

Wendt acted in many regional theater productions and on Broadway a handful of times, including playing Edna Turnblad in Hairspray in 2007 and playing Santa in the musical Elf in 2010. He played Santa in a number of other projects, including in 2006’s Santa Baby, 2008’s A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!, 2009’s Santa Buddies and 2012’s Merry In-Laws.

“It’s really hard to eat much with all that hair on,” Wendt joked to The New York Times in 2022 about the challenges of playing Kris Kringle. “That beard — that’s awful. It just goes right in your mouth, no matter how careful you are.”

Nick Cannon (left) and George Wendt on ‘The Masked Singer’. FOX/Getty

In 2023, he competed on The Masked Singer. Wendt reunited with his Cheers costars Danson, Grammar, Perlman and Ratzenberger at the 2023 Emmys to present the award for outstanding directing for a comedy series.

Wendt’s acting philosophy was simple. He told the Chicago Tribune in 2002, “I just look for fun things to do.” His biggest advice for aspiring actors was “Have fun,” he told Solzy at the Movies in 2019.

“Look, it’s brutal out there. If you’re not having fun, it’s not worth it.”

Wendt is survived by his wife and children.