'Cheers' actor Jay Thomas is dead at 69 - ABC News He was 69. TIL actor Jay Thomas got his character, Eddie LeBec, killed off of the TV show "Cheers" when he talked about how horrible it was to kiss his character's wife, Rhea Perlman, on his radio show. And I think I did a pretty good job, although maybe it wasnt good enough for him.. He said, like in a movie, "Are you sitting down?" It seemed like Thomas was going to become a regular character. Well, it may have stemmed from a radio spot by Thomas where he was asked to talk about his role on the show. The Behind-The-Scenes Drama On Cheers That Had Jay Thomas Written Off "But there was a point where they [thought] maybe we would live together, and I didn't like the idea of Carla being with somebody because that would make you feel like [you're] not part of the people in the bar.". In a statement, Thomas' friend and agent. Ive always wanted to be one of those guys on late-night talk shows who everybody wants to see. Read on to find out what Thomas said about Perlman and how his storyline came to a surprising end. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? 'Cheers' actor Jay Thomas dead at 69 | Page Six Jay Thomas, 'Murphy Brown' and 'Cheers' Actor, Dies at 69 - NBC News I loved Jay Thomas as Eddie LeBec," she said. Thomas also had a turn on "Cheers" as Rhea Perlman's TV-husband Eddie LeBec, a Boston Bruins hockey player who was killed by a Zamboni. He later landed a recurring role as the hockey-playing husband of Rhea Perlman's character on "Cheers." He won back-to-back Emmys in 1991-92 for the guest role on "Murphy Brown," playing outspoken . He was 69. Heck, note that in the quote above, Thomas even says he was specifically told Perlman was not the reason. photos, CNN Jay Thomas, a comic and character actor whose credits include roles on "Cheers" and "Murphy Brown," has died after a battle with cancer, according to his publicist Tom Estey. To explain his departure we decided to just kill him, which led to one of my favorite episodes that David and I wrote, Death Takes a Holiday on Ice. ", The Sirius radio host also had roles in films including "Mr. Holland's Opus," "The Santa Clause 2" and "The Santa Clause 3." Thomas won two Emmy awards for outstanding guest actor in a comedy series for his portrayal of Gold. Characters Killed Off Because Of The Actor's Bad Behavior - Looper.com American Actor Jay Thomas was born Jon Thomas Terrell on 12th July, 1948 in Kermit, Texas and passed away on 24th Aug 2017 Santa Barbara, California aged 69. Jay Thomas was known for his TV roles, most notably as Jerry Gold on Murphy Brown in the 1990s. And The Lone . In addition, Levine wrote about the incident on his amazing blog here, explaining how he came up with the episode where they killed off Eddie. jay thomas, Other Works Click the AdBlock Plus button on your browser and select Disable on Observer.com. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Folks came and went on the sitcom, its how things go for the most part. in which he played Rhea Perlman's . Rhea Perlman Once Got This Actor Fired For Making Fun Of Her Jay was one of a kind, never at a loss for words and filled with so much fun and wonderfully wacky thoughts and behavior," his agent, Don Buchwald, said. And, according to the co-creator of the series, Thomas could have appeared on even more episodes of the popular show if he hadn't insulted Perlman during a radio show. 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His zodiac sign is Cancer. However, I think it is fair to say a leading cause in Thomas' dismissal had to do with comments he made on his radio program (Thomas still kept his disc jockey job even while acting). In our world, you don't wind up sleeping with the fishes; you die a violent yet comedic death.". A Warner Bros. He is survived by his wife Sally and sons Sam, Jake and J.T. Jay broadcast from California, New York, and New Orleans. 'Yellowstone' Return Date Info, Savannah Guthrie Rushed Out Of 'Today' After Testing Positive For COVID-19 During Live Broadcast, Where Is Hoda Kotb? 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He was a delightful character. He was 69. In this weeks installment, Was Superman a Spy? Well, it may have stemmed from a radio spot by Thomas where he was asked to talk about his role on the show. 1,686, This story has been shared 1,313 times. Finally, and most importantly, Kirstie Alley successfully replaced the female lead Shelley Long (who played Diane) after Season 5. In a statement to the NY Daily News, Thomas' rep, Don Buchwald, said, "Jay was one of . 3.2M views. In the late '80s, actor Jay Thomas appeared on several episodes of Cheers as the love interestand eventual husband ofCarla Tortelli, who was played by Rhea Perlman. So Cheers had clearly established itself as a series where notable characters could be added to the ensemble. 17 Things 'Cheers' Fans Never Knew. Jay Thomas Rhea Perlman and Jay Thomas in Cheers (1982) Close 36 of 47 Jay Thomas36 of 47 Rhea Perlmanand Jay Thomasin Cheers (1982) PeopleRhea Perlman, Jay Thomas TitlesCheers Photo by NBC/NBC via Getty Images - NBC Universal, Inc. "It's brutal, I have to kiss Rhea Perlman". In the late '80s, actor Jay Thomas appeared on several episodes of Cheers as the love interestand eventual husband ofCarla Tortelli, who was played by Rhea Perlman. Actor Jay Thomas, best known for his roles in the classic sitcoms "Murphy Brown" and "Cheers," has died, according to his publicist. Thomas also portrayed Carla's (played by Rhea Perlman) hockey player . '", Thomas explained of what he said on the radio show, "[Listeners] would go, 'What's it like to kiss Carla?' I have to kiss Rhea Perlman." In addition to his work on TV, many know Thomas from his annual holiday season appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman, where hed retell what Letterman once called the greatest talk show story of all time.. Jay Thomas portrayed Eddie LeBec in nine episodes between 1987 and 1989, his biggest role since his memorable two-year run as deli owner Remo DaVinci on Mork and Mindy, and just before he'd. He was 69. 'Cheers,' 'Murphy Brown' Character Actor Jay Thomas Dead at 69 By Ken Levine: The kiss of death for Eddie LeBec - Blogger He had a few small roles during the early 1980s, popping up on big shows like Family Ties and The Golden Girls, and in 1987 (in the middle of Season 5) he joined Cheers as Boston Bruins goalie Eddie LeBec. — -- Actor Jay Thomas has died, ABC News has confirmed. Every holiday season since 1998, he was asked by, Was the Morning man at New York City radio station WXRK, just prior to. He worked at stations in Panama City; Pensacola, Fla.; Knoxville, Tenn.; Nashville; Jacksonville, Fla.; and Charlotte, N.C., where he earned nicknames like The Mouth of the South, The Scorpion and The Prince of Darkness.. Levine continues, "we needed (a) some comic spin for the story, and (b) something to discredit Eddie so the audience would ultimately be glad he was out of Carla's life. on CBS' Murphy Brown from 1989-98 winning a pair of Emmys after his stint as Rhea Perlman's husband Eddie LeBec, a French-Canadian goalie with the . Cheers Actors You May Not Know Passed Away - Looper.com However, in Season 7, Eddie is killed off. Discovery Company. Eddie died in a Zamboni accident off-screen, and his character was only maligned further. The answer was at the funeral Carla learned that he was a polygamist, and had a second wife (who looked just like Carla).". Best Picture Nominee Triangle of Sadness Is Now Streaming on Hulu, When Does 'Black Girl Missing' Premiere on Lifetime? Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much He crossed the family." Perlman was onCheersthroughout its 11-season run and won four Emmy awards for her work. . However, Jay would try out his stand-up comic routines on the rest of the staff. Discover jay thomas rhea perlman 's popular videos | TikTok He earned that promotion.. Kissing Rhea Perlman Was "Brutal," "Cheers" Cast Member Said - Best Life "Rhea came up to my office and she was furiousI'd never seen her like this. Actor Jay Thomas, best known for his roles in the classic sitcoms "Murphy Brown" and "Cheers," has died at age 69. . All Rights Reserved. In an oral history of Cheers published by GQ in 2012, Thomas, Perlman, and writer Ken Levine spoke about Thomas being written out of the show.