Image Credit: Getty Images for Backstage Creat
Sad news for the comedy world, Bob Newhart has died at the age of 94.
The star of The Bob Newhart Show was confirmed by his publicist Jerry Digney to have passed away after “a series of short illneses.”
The comedian has filled homes with laughter since the 60s with shows like TBNS and Newhart. The comedy background was something always that intrigued him even during his time as an accountant. “I think it’s amazing that a good accountant could become a comedian. I think in my case, it’s amazing they have a bad accountant, could become a comedian. But there is something about comedy that is there’s something about numbers. And music and comedy, I’m not sure what it is,” he said during an interview with American Masters.
He has vocalized before that he is grateful when people acknowledge him for his greates roles. Bob told The Washington Post in 2018, “It’s very gratifying, when people come up to you, say, on a plane. Someone will say, ‘I don’t mean to bother you, but I just loved your show. And my dad and my mother and I would sit and watch the show, like a ritual.”
Aside from his long career background in TV, he is known for his iconic role as the narrator in the film Elf – which has become a movie for generations and he called it.
During an interview with People, he recalled that when he first received the script he informed his wide, “ ‘This is going to be a perennial. This is going to be like Miracle on 34th Street. They’re going to be showing this every Christmas, I guarantee’.”
He added, “It could have been a terrible movie. It could have been just a stupid person who thinks they’re still an elf…But Will had such charm and Jon Favreau shot it in such a way that people just love it. They just love it!”
Not only did it mean a lot to him, but it was a film that brought joy to the world. As his co-star Will Ferrell said to the outlet, “It was a really challenging time and it was nice to bring a nice breath of innocence to the world, and especially to the city, at that time…I’m really proud of it. If it’s ever in a theater or playing on television, I love to check in on it.
The Illinois native who lost his wife Virginia Quinn in 2023 leaves behind his kids – Robert, Jennifer, Courtney, and Timothy.
