Actor John Mahoney, who audiences best knew as Martin Crane on the hit Cheers spinoff Frasier, passed away in Chicago on Sunday. He was 77.
Mahoney’s manager, Paul Martino, confirmed to media that Mahoney died while in hospice care following a brief hospitalization. An official cause of death has not yet been announced publicly.
Mahoney starred on NBC’s Frasier for 11 seasons from 1993 to 2004, playing the father of Kelsey Grammer and David Hyde Pierce’s characters. During the show’s run, he was honored with two Emmy and Golden Globe nominations and also won a SAG Award.
Before Frasier, Mahoney could often be found on Chicago’s big stages, even winning a Tony Award in 1986 for Broadway’s The House of Blue Leaves.
Notable celebrity mainstays took to Twitter to pay tribute after Mahoney’s passing went public.
Here's to you, John Mahoney! You make the unforgettable look easy. @johncusack, @ioneskye1, @canyonjim pic.twitter.com/jB1PTQmUaQ
— Cameron Crowe (@CameronCrowe) February 6, 2018
John Mahoney has moved on. A Great actor. Incredible wicked sense of humor. And someone who made a huge difference in my life and many others. #RIPJohnMahoney #respect https://t.co/SHNHtff6QJ
— Ben Stiller (@BenStiller) February 6, 2018
I have looked up to #JohnMahoney for so many years for so many reasons. He has always been an inspiration to me. He will continue to be.❤️
— Jesse Tyler Ferguson (he/him/his) (@jessetyler) February 6, 2018
https://twitter.com/iamgreenfield/status/960695247721213952
I need to watch John Mahoney singing along to Steely Dan in his car in SAY ANYTHING, asap. RIP Martin Crane
— Doug Benson (@DougBenson) February 6, 2018
Mahoney first got involved with the entertainment world in 1977 and worked right up until his death.
His notable credits aside from Frasier include: The American President, In the Line of Fire and Say Anything. He used his success to help others in the industry along the way, including superhero uber-producer Greg Berlanti. Mahoney helped him get the greenlight for his directorial debut, the 2000 rom-com The Broken Heart Club.
“He never wavered in his belief in me—a first time director,” Berlanti said on social media. “And he was even more kind than he was brilliant.”
Born in Blackpool, England, Mahoney came to the U.S. when he was 19. He taught English at Western Illinois University before somehow successfully transitioning into acting in his late 30s.
