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<v Speaker 1>Caalaroga Shark Media. I'm Johnny Mack. George Went, best known

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<v Speaker 1>for his role as Norm Peterson on NBC's Cheers, passed

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<v Speaker 1>away Tuesday morning at his home. He was seventy six.

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<v Speaker 1>His publicist, Melissa Nathan, shared a statement, George was a

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<v Speaker 1>doting family man, a well loved friend, and a confidence

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<v Speaker 1>who all those lucky enough to have known him. He

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<v Speaker 1>will be missed forever. The family has requested privacy during

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<v Speaker 1>this time. When earned six consecutive Emmy nominations for his

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<v Speaker 1>performance as Norm Peterson, Cheers coincidentally ended thirty two years

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<v Speaker 1>ago today. George was part of the Second City in

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<v Speaker 1>the nineteen seventies before becoming a TV actor. He had

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<v Speaker 1>numerous guest spots and then landed the role of barfly

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<v Speaker 1>Norm Peterson. He would later appear as Norm in The Tortellis,

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<v Speaker 1>which was one of the spinoffs from Cheers and Frasier.

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<v Speaker 1>After appearing in all two hundred seventy three episodes of Cheers,

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<v Speaker 1>George went went to CBS to star in The George

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<v Speaker 1>Wentz Show. He played a radio host car mechanic. That

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<v Speaker 1>series only ran four a month. Born in nineteen forty

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<v Speaker 1>eight in Chicago. George was on SNL as one of

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<v Speaker 1>the Chicago Bears superfans. One of nine children, attended the

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<v Speaker 1>University of Notre Dame before switching to Rockhurst College and

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<v Speaker 1>graduating with a degree in economics. He married Bernardette Burkett

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<v Speaker 1>in nineteen seventy eight. Bernetette interestingly voiced the character of

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<v Speaker 1>Norm's wife on Cheers. She was never seen on camera

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<v Speaker 1>so many credits, including Fletch Gung Ho, Spice World, the

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen eighty five horror film House indie film from twenty nineteen,

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<v Speaker 1>The Climb, guest appearances on Hot and Cleveland, The Twilight Zone,

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<v Speaker 1>Colombo George Lopez Fresh off the Boat. In twenty twenty three,

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<v Speaker 1>he appeared on the Masked Singer in Rolling Stone. Alan

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<v Speaker 1>Seppenwall writes, the final scene of Cheers is a masterclass

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<v Speaker 1>on how to end a beloved, long running show properly.

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<v Speaker 1>It's just Sam alone and the rest of the gang

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<v Speaker 1>hanging out, smoking cigars, swapping stories, and reminding the audience

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<v Speaker 1>why this fictional Boston sports bar had become such a

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<v Speaker 1>cherished place to virtually hang out for the last decade.

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<v Speaker 1>They trade jokes and other different suggestions for what the

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<v Speaker 1>meaning of life is. Then the bar's phone rings that

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<v Speaker 1>everybody realizes they have somewhere else they should be. Everyone

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<v Speaker 1>files out, except for Norm Peterson played by George Went,

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<v Speaker 1>who says that the meeting of life is love. Yes, Sam,

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<v Speaker 1>you know what I love? Sam replies beer Norm. Norm

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<v Speaker 1>considers that promote and then says, yeah, I'll have a

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<v Speaker 1>quick one. It's one more perfectly timed for re joinder

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<v Speaker 1>from the character and actor who may have been better

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<v Speaker 1>at it than anyone else in the long and storied

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<v Speaker 1>history of TV comedy. His surviving family includes his sister

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<v Speaker 1>Kathy Sidecas, mother of Jason Sidekas. Yeah, I didn't know this,

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<v Speaker 1>George Went was Jason Sadakas'. His uncle. Sister Kathy is

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<v Speaker 1>one of the organizers of the Big Slick Celebrity weekend

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<v Speaker 1>that Jason and his fellow Kansas City celebrity's co host.

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<v Speaker 1>This year's event is next week. He heard several times

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<v Speaker 1>that Big Slick. Last year reprised his role as one

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<v Speaker 1>of the de Bears super fans alongside Jason Sadegas, Robert Smigel,

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<v Speaker 1>and Patrick Mahomes from the Chiefs. George told a story

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<v Speaker 1>about his life in Kansas City as a student at Rockhurst.

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<v Speaker 1>He said, Kansas City was sodom and gomore compared to

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<v Speaker 1>South Bend Notre Dame. There was a bar right across

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<v Speaker 1>the street, and I thought it was fantastic. I remember

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<v Speaker 1>the payphone at Mike's tavern. You could rig it. I

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<v Speaker 1>worked for AT and T back in the day, and

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<v Speaker 1>we could see the kids were rigging it. They were

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<v Speaker 1>getting free phone calls. He shared a story about shooting

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<v Speaker 1>a film in Dublin. A friend invited him to go

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<v Speaker 1>bar hopping. George didn't want to go. George gave in.

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<v Speaker 1>They went to a place called the ferry Man, who

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<v Speaker 1>was mostly empty except for one guy. That guy, Bono,

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<v Speaker 1>was this amazing. Bono told George, I didn't want to

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<v Speaker 1>meet you because you were Norm on Cheers. I wanted

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<v Speaker 1>to meet you because you were Norman Cheers and you

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<v Speaker 1>found this place. You corracked the code. George went once said,

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<v Speaker 1>the Norm you see in Cheers has been years in

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<v Speaker 1>the making. I have some characteristics in common with him,

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<v Speaker 1>besides our fondness for beer. But I think I'm a

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<v Speaker 1>lot happier than Norm. I was a beer drinker long

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<v Speaker 1>before Cheers. When I put a couple of six packs

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<v Speaker 1>on top of my grocery shopping cart. People are pleased,

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<v Speaker 1>I tell him I'm taking them home to rehearse. He

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<v Speaker 1>did say that the toughest part of his job was

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<v Speaker 1>drinking the beer on the TV, which was actually warm, flat,

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<v Speaker 1>and non alcoholic that was layered with a pinch of

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<v Speaker 1>salt to create the illusion of a head on a beer.

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<v Speaker 1>He told The Washington Post in nineteen eighty five. There

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<v Speaker 1>I was slamming those down for a whole day. It

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<v Speaker 1>not only tastes disgusting. I was afraid of keeling over

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<v Speaker 1>from high blood pressure. Then I got the knack. I

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<v Speaker 1>didn't have to put all those brus away. It only

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<v Speaker 1>mattered when the camera was pointing my way. It took

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<v Speaker 1>a couple of years, but now I watch the camera.

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<v Speaker 1>That's how I make my money. That's acting. George Went

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<v Speaker 1>was seventy six