John Mahoney, best-known as the father of Frasier Crane for 11 seasons on NBC’s Frasier has passed away in Chicago at the age of 77. TMZ is reporting that the Emmy-nominated actor and SAG Award-winner died while in hospice care, according to his publicist.
Mahoney enjoyed a long career as a character actor in film and on TV for over a decade before he landed the role as the father to Kelsey Grammer and David Hyde-Pierce’s Crane brothers on the NBC hit. His relationship with his old chair and his dog Eddie became a mainstay on the show, which was one of NBC’s highest-rated shows during their Must-See TV run in the ’90s until the show ended in 2004.
The great John Mahoney passed away today at age 77. I've not known a kinder man nor more brilliant actor. We were all blessed to have spent 11 glorious years together. pic.twitter.com/hn3SZwuEy4
— Jeff Greenberg (@JeffGreenbergCD) February 5, 2018
Following Frasier, Mahoney kept busy, lending his voice to The Simpsons and spending three years as a cast member of Hot in Cleveland. All in all, Mahoney had over 70 acting credits to his name over his 30-year career and had memorable roles in Barton Fink, Iron Giant, The Hudsucker Proxy and many more.
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In the end, Mahoney will always be remembered as Martin Crane in one of the most beloved TV series of all-time. If the show does have a possible revival, not having Mahoney will be a huge blow.
