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PEOPLE & ARTS Friday 25 august 2017
‘Cheers’ actor, radio host Jay Thomas dies at 69

By LYNN ELBER With each appearance he online biography.
AP Television Writer also retold a tale of his time He worked as a radio disc
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jay as a radio DJ in the South jockey and station pro-
Thomas, a radio talk show when he and a friend gave gram manager in so many
host and actor with recur- a ride to Clayton Moore, Southern cities that “I had a
ring roles on the sitcoms star of TV’s “Lone Ranger.” career like a Piedmont Air-
“Murphy Brown” and Letterman hailed it as the lines schedule,” he joked in
“Cheers,” has died, his “best story I’ve ever heard.” an AP interview.
publicist said. Thomas was Thomas called his annual His radio experience led
69. “Late Show” ritual “the cra- to stand-up comedy gigs
He was “one of the funni- ziest thing I have ever been and eventually acting on
est and kindest men I have a part of” in an interview a stage and TV. In 1979, he
had the honor to call both few years ago with The As- was cast on the hit sitcom
client and friend for 25 sociated Press. “Mork & Mindy” in the sup-
years plus,” publicist Tom Born John Thomas Terrell porting role of delicatessen
Estey said in a statement in Kermit, Texas, he began owner Remo DaVinci.
Thursday. He did not pro- his radio career as a sports He starred for three seasons
vide further details. announcer for high school in the sitcom “Love & War”
Thomas was fighting can- football and college bas- as a sports writer romancing In this July 9, 1992 file photo, actor Jay Thomas, who stars in CBS
cer, the New York Daily ketball while attending the woman who owned his television’s “Love and War” poses for a portrait in Los Angeles.
News reported Thursday. schools including Gulf favorite sports bar. Thomas ‘’NCIS: New Orleans” and Clause” films.
Thomas’ best-known roles Coast College and Jack- also made many guest “Bones.” Thomas’ survivors include
were as Eddie LeBec, the sonville University to earn appearances on comedy His films roles include “Mr. his wife, Sally, and sons J.T.
former-hockey-player hus- bachelor’s and master’s and drama series, most re- Holland’s Opus” and sec- Harding and Jacob and
band of barmaid Carla on degrees, according to his cently on “Ray Donovan,” ond and third “Santa Samuel Thomas.q
“Cheers,” and tabloid-talk-
show host Jerry Gold on
“Murphy Brown,” for which
he won two Emmys.
Diane English, creator of
“Murphy Brown,” said in a
Twitter post that she was
heartbroken to hear of his
death and called him “gift-
ed.” “I would have loved
to write another role for
him. RIP Jay,” she tweeted.
Thomas, who in recent
years hosted a SiriusXM
Radio talk show, was a
reliably worthy guest. His Common, JHud and Hanks among
annual Christmastime ap-
pearance on “Late Show
with David Letterman” be- stars of ‘Super School Live’ special
came a tradition that in-
cluded a contest to knock
a meatball off a Christmas LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tom more than two dozen ce- the efforts of the XQ Insti- ments. Hudson, Sheryl
tree erected onstage. Hanks, Samuel L. Jackson, lebrities slated to appear tute, which was co-found- Crow and Yo-Yo Ma are
The custom began one Common and Jennifer on the “EIF Presents: XQ ed by a former assistant among the scheduled mu-
night in 1998 when New Hudson are among the Super School Live “ spe- education secretary in sical performers.
York Jets quarterback Vin- celebrities participating in cial that will air on all four President Barack Obama’s Oscar-winner Viola Davis
ny Testaverde was a guest. an hour-long live television major broadcast networks administration. and her actor-producer
He and Letterman picked special about reinventing simultaneously on Sept. 8 It’s slated to include live husband Julius Tennon are
up footballs and began American high schools. at 8 p.m. Eastern. music, comedy sketches executive producers of
tossing them at the oddly The stars will be joined by The special will highlight and documentary seg- the show.q
decorated tree, aiming for
the meatball.
failures from the wings Upstate New York ‘Star Trek’ TV
Impatiently watching their

was Thomas, former quar-
terback at tiny Central set tour getting boost from donor
Piedmont Community Col-
lege in Charlotte, North
Carolina. He ran on stage, TICONDEROGA, N.Y. (AP) The Ticonderoga Revital- Tour.” Clarke Ryan and the education center is
picked up a football and, in — A businessman whose ization Alliance, a local Cawley are both Ticond- named after her.
one throw, accomplished recreated “Star Trek” TV development agency, eroga natives. Cawley’s studio sets mim-
what the NFL quarterback set is a major tourist draw says a $300,000 gift from She’s the former wife of ic those of the 1960s TV
couldn’t in several. Thomas in upstate New York is get- Deborah Clarke Ryan will Forrest Mars Jr., who died series. A three-day “Star
was invited back annually ting a financial boost with enable James Cawley to last year. Trek” convention start-
for the duration of Letter- a donation from the for- buy the building in the vil- While married the couple ing Friday is expected to
man’s “Late Show” run to mer wife of a late heir to lage that houses his “Star were major supporters of draw hundreds of visitors
try to repeat his feat. the Mars candy fortune. Trek, Original Series Set Fort Ticonderoga, where to Ticonderoga.q