Jay Thomas’ costars and other celebrities mourn the late ‘Cheers’ star.
Jay Thomas was an extremely talented, and incredibly funny actor who delighted audiences with his roles on Cheers, Murphy Brown, and Ray Donovan. The actor sadly passed away after a long battle with cancer on August 24, surrounded by his family — Sally and his three sons Sam, Max and J. T. — at his home. He was only 69 years old. Jay’s passing is another devastating blow to Hollywood, where so many wonderful people have died this past year. Jay’s costars, peers, and those who simply admired him immediately jumped on Twitter when they heard the sad news to honor their fallen friend.
It’s clear from the Twitter love that Jay was an incredibly special man. The actor had one of the most famous story arches in television history while starring on Cheers. His character, Eddie LeBec, died after getting mowed over by a zamboni at an ice rink! He left the show in 1989, then moved to the classic comedy Murphy Brown. That was his most famous role — Jerry Gold. He left the show after nearly a decade of playing Jerry.
More recently, he played the fan-favorite character Marty Grossman on Ray Donovan. Jay was also a hilarious radio host, and a welcome fixture on The Late Show with David Letterman. Every Christmas, he’ d visit Dave to tell his infamous Lone Ranger story. It’s a little R-rated, so we’ ll let you check that one out yourselves! These celebrities are so sad and shocked to hear that Jay passed away, as are we. Read their lovely condolences to Jay’s family and tributes to the star:
HollywoodLifers, our thoughts are with Jay’s friends and family during this difficult time.
