Kirstie Alley, star of “Cheers,” has died of cancer at age 71. The announcement came on Monday evening, and since then, her former “Cheers” cast members have spoken out.
“Kirstie was truly brilliant in [‘Cheers’],” Ted Danson told People. “Her ability to play a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown was both moving and hysterically funny. 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.”
Kelsey Grammer said, “I always believed grief for a public figure is a private matter, but I will say I loved her.”
Rhea Perlman also told People, “Kirstie was a unique and wonderful person and friend. Her joy of being was boundless. We became friends almost instantly when she joined the cast…”
“Cheers” ran on NBC from 1982-1993, earning a whopping 28 Emmys (and 117 nominations) during its decade-plus on the air. The plot followed the regulars at the Boston bar “Cheers,” including former pitcher turned bartender Sam Malone (Ted Danson), grad student turned bartender Diane Chambers (Shelley Long), cynical cocktail waitress Carla Tortelli (Rhea Perlman), pretentious psychiatrist Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer), Midwestern bartender Woody Boyd (Woody Harrelson), popular regular Norm Peterson (George Wendt), know it all Cliff Calvin (John Ratzenberger), uptight shrink Lilith Sternin (Bebe Neuwirth) and bar manager Rebecca Howe (Alley).
Here’s everything you need to know about where they are now.
Ted Danson
Danson, 74, starred in a more recent NBC hit, afterlife comedy “The Good Place,” which ran from 2016-2020 and earned him three Emmy nominations. Since that show ended, he’s resumed appearing on HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” had a recurring role on Fox’s Seth MacFarlane-led series “The Orville” and starred in a two-season long NBC comedy by Tina Fey, “Mr. Mayor,” which was canceled in May. He’s been married to actress Mary Steenburgen, 69, since 1995.
Shelley Long
Long, 73, went on to earn an Emmy nomination in 1996 for playing Diane Chambers in the “Cheers” spin-off, “Frasier.” She’s since played a recurring role as the Dunphy kids’ kooky grandmother DeDe Pritchett in ABC’s hit “Modern Family” for several episodes between 2009-2018. She’s also made guest appearances on shows such as “Family Guy” and she appeared in the 2021 movie “The Cleaner,” alongside Luke Wilson and Lynda Carter.
Rhea Perlman
Perlman, 74, went on to star in a failed “Cheers” spinoff, “The Tortellis,” which was cancelled after just thirteen episodes in 1987. She starred in the iconic 1996 kids movie “Matilda” and several plays, including Broadway’s “The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife.” Coming up, she’ll be in the hotly anticipated 2023 “Barbie” movie with Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, as well as Kenya Barris comedy on Netflix, “You People,” which stars Eddie Murphy, Jonah Hill, Louis-Dreyfus and Lauren London.
Perlman, who married Danny DeVito in 1982, and shares three now-adult kids with him, has been separated from the “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” star since 2017, but has stated that she has no plans to formally divorce him. “We’ve been together a very long time, so there’s a lot of love and history,” she told The Post. “We agree on enough things, so why [ruin] that with the yucky things that come with a divorce?”
Kelsey Grammer
Grammer, 67, went on to star in the one hit “Cheers” spinoff “Frasier,” which ran from 1993-2004. Since then, he’s appeared on a slew of TV shows, including “The Simpsons,” “30 Rock,” “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” and “Dr. Death.” He’s had plenty of success on stage, too, with starring rolls in “My Fair Lady” and “La Cage Aux Folles” — for which he earned a Tony nomination in 2010. He also led the Fox Nation docuseries, “Kelsey Grammer’s Historic Battles for America.” Up next, he’ll be in the Lifetime TV series “Flowers in the Attic: The Origin,” expected this summer. He’s a dad of seven kids, and married to his fourth wife, former flight attendant Kayte Walsh, since 2011.
George Wendt
Wendt, 74, went on to have his own sitcom on CBS in 1995, “The George Wendt Show,” but it was canceled after just six episodes due to low ratings. He’s since gone on to appear in movies such as “Man of the House,” “Spice World” and “Kids in America,” and has appeared on shows such as “Seinfeld,” “The Simpsons,” “Hot in Cleveland” and “The Goldbergs.” He most recently appeared in “Christmas with the Campbells,” which had a limited release on Dec. 2, starring Justin Long and Brittany Snow.
Woody Harrelson
Harrelson, 61, went on to star in critically acclaimed hits such as HBO’s “True Detective” in 2014. He’s enjoyed success in cinemas with box office juggernauts including “The Hunger Games” movies, “Venom: Let there Be Carnage,” and prestige movies such as “Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri,” for which he earned an Oscar nomination. Since 2008, he’s been married to his former personal assistant Laura Louie, with whom he has three kids. Up next, he’ll play a basketball coach in the comedy movie “Champions,” which premieres March 24, and he’ll star alongside Justin Theroux, Lena Headey and Kiernan Shipka in the HBO series “The Whitehouse Plumbers,” about Watergate, premiering in 2023 at an unannounced date.
Bebe Neuwirth
Neuwirth, 63, reprised her role in “Frasier,” and also starred in “Law & Order: Trial by Jury” in 2005. On the big screen, she appeared in both “Jumanji” movies (1995 and 2019), “The Faculty,” “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” and “Tick, Tick…Boom!” On the stage, she starred as Morticia Addams in “The Addams Family” in 2010. Between 2014-2017 she starred in CBS drama “Madame Secretary,” and she’s also appeared in shows such as “The Good Fight” and “The Flight Attendant.” Her most recent role is the HBO Max series “Julia” about Julia Child, which premiered in March and will return for a second season. Since 2009, she’s been married to writer-director-producer Chris Calkins.
John Ratzenberger
Ratzenberger, 75, joined his co-star Perlman on the short-lived “Cheers” spinoff “The Tortellis.” In recent years, he’s had a career voicing animated characters in various Pixar franchises, “Toy Story,” “Monsters, Inc.,” “Cars” and “The Incredibles.” In recent years, he’s also voiced Fritz in “Inside Out,” Bill the crab in “Finding Dory” and Juan Ortodoncia in “Coco.” Since 2012, he’s been married to his second wife, Julie Blichfeldt.
