Night Court star Harry Anderson dead at 65

There is some very sad news breaking today when it comes to a TV icon. Harry Anderson, best known for a short stint on Cheers that eventually turned into a starring gig on Night Court, has died at the age of 65.

According to a report from Variety, Anderson was found dead at his home in Asheville, North Carolina. No cause of death has been formally released at the moment, but there is no suspicion of foul play. This is a tremendously sad end for an actor who has been known very much over the years for his ability to make viewers laugh.

Night Court was well-known in its era for being one of NBC’s most-successful shows and it helped to continue a tremendous run that they had from Cheers to Frasier, Friends, Seinfeld, and many other hits that spanned a couple of decades. Night Court ran in total for nine seasons, with Anderson being the recipient of multiple Emmy nominations in the process. He also had a starring role down the road in Dave’s World, a CBS comedy that was based off of the work of humor columnist Dave Barry. As someone who really grew up in the nineties, this is probably the show that we remember him for more so than any other.

Ultimately, Anderson represents many different things to different people, but how we picture the character at the moment is as a product of very much a gone generation where comedies dominated the schedule and there were few actors bigger than sitcom stars. Night Court somehow still feels like an unheralded part of TV history, a show that has a loyal audience from its original run but still doesn’t seem like it receives the attention that it deserves. Anderson’s work was inspired and funny, and he was also surrounded with talented people on it and all of his other productions.