Newhart’s publicist, Jerry Digney, confirmed that the actor died on Thursday in Los Angeles following a series of short illnesses.
In a heartfelt statement on Facebook, the Newhart family shared: “Our father passed away this morning surrounded by all our family. We feel blessed that he is reunited with our mom and all of his friends waiting for him. Thank you for all of your well wishes. He was deeply loved by all, but especially by his children and grandchildren.”
Hailing from the Chicago area, Newhart initially worked as an accountant before finding success in show business. His big break came in 1960 when, at the age of 30, his comedy album “The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart” soared to No. 1 on the Billboard charts, becoming the first comedy album to achieve this feat.
Later that same year, Newhart released another album, “The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back,” which also topped the charts. These successes earned him three Grammy Awards® in 1961: Best New Artist, Album of the Year, and Best Comedy Performance. He also guest-hosted “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” 87 times.
Initially hesitant to commit to a weekly TV series, fearing overexposure of his material, Newhart eventually accepted an offer from NBC. “The Bob Newhart Show” premiered on October 11, 1961. Despite winning Emmy® and Peabody awards, the half-hour variety show was canceled after one season, a fact Newhart humorously referenced for years.
A decade later, in 1972, Newhart embarked on another “The Bob Newhart Show,” this time a sitcom in which he played a Chicago psychologist living with his schoolteacher wife, played by Suzanne Pleshette. The show featured a quirky cast of characters, including Bill Daily as an airline navigator, who complimented Newhart’s deadpan humor perfectly.
Newhart attributed much of his success to his distinctive stammer, which became a hallmark of his comedic style. This trait was evident in his first hit TV sitcom in 1972 and continued to be a defining feature of his performances.
In a 2014 PBS documentary, Newhart recounted an incident where a TV producer asked him to speak faster during a scene. Newhart’s response was classic: “This stammer has gotten me a home in Beverly Hills, and I’m not about to change it.”
Newhart would charm a new generation when he played Papa Elf in the 2003 Will Ferrell hit film “Elf.” Newhart guest-starred on such shows as “ER,” “Desperate Housewives” and “NCIS.”
He would reach new TV millions when he appeared in CBS’ top-rated sitcom, “The Big Bang Theory.” Series creator Chuck Lorre said, “One of the smartest things I said in a while was, ‘How about Bob Newhart?’ And it worked. He is the master of his craft. You can’t really anticipate what he’s going to do because his rhythms are so unique and his own.” Astonishingly, Newhart won his first Emmy for the role.
Newhart worked nearly to the end of his life, appearing in last year’s “Bob and Don: A Love Story,” a documentary by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio about his longtime friendship with the late comic Don Rickles. He was guided by a philosophy once expressed to the Hollywood Reporter: “As long as you’re able to physically do it I can’t imagine ever not doing it. It’s been a way of life for me. It’s a pain in the ass getting there, with the planes and the canceled flights and the hotel rooms, but then you walk out on that stage and it’s a great audience and you’re having a great time. Why would anyone say, ‘You know, I’m really tired of making people laugh?’”
