Jason Sudeikis recalled a childhood memory with his uncle George Wendt years before the Cheers star’s death
“I hold that memory very fondly,” the Ted Lasso star said at the time
Wendt died “peacefully in his sleep” at age 76 on May 20, his publicist confirmed to PEOPLE
Jason Sudeikis recalled his uncle George Wendt’s adventurous side years before the Cheers star’s death.
Nearly eight years before Wendt’s death on May 20, the Ted Lasso star, 49, looked back on a childhood memory alongside the late actor during an interview with The A.V. Club at Second City’s Roast of George Wendt event in 2017.
“We all went out to California to visit and George had just gotten a new car,” the Kansas City, Missouri native shared in the joint interview with his late uncle. “It was a badass BMW with, like, manual drive, which I’d never seen before, you know, I was pretty young.”
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From left: George Wendt and Jason Sudeikis attend Apple TV +’s Primetime Emmy Party at Mother Wolf on January 15, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
“He took me and my dad for a ride,” he added, as Wendt laughed. “My dad sat shotgun. I was in the back all by myself. This is not when you needed, you know, mandatory seatbelts.”
Wendt — who is the brother of Sudeikis’ mother, Kathy — drove the father-son duo through Los Angeles’ Laurel Canyon, which he had navigated “hundreds and thousands of times,” but the pair were in for a jarring experience.
“He had my dad holding onto [the car] like nothing you’ve ever seen,” the Saturday Night Live alum recalled. “And I’m just, like, sliding around the background just because the seats were brand new.”
“I hold that memory very fondly,” he concluded.
The two often praised each other in the media, with Wendt having nothing but good things to say about Sudeikis during a 2024 appearance on the Still Here Hollywood podcast.
“It was [David] Letterman or Conan [O’Brien]. He said, ‘Did your uncle George have any advice for you?’ ” he shared. “And Jason goes — he’s so sharp — he goes, ‘Yeah he told me just get on the best show on television and one of the greatest shows of all time and just pretty much take it from there.’ And he goes, ‘So I did.’ ”
“He got SNL,” he continued.
“He’s such a great kid. Very proud. Proud especially, you know, not only of the success, but he’s solid. Have you read profiles and stuff? I mean he is such a mensch, so smart, so thoughtful. I mean, it all comes out in the show. Right?”
Rick Kern/WireImage
George Wendt attends the “Cheers Reunion” panel during the 12th Season of ATX TV Festival at ACL Live on June 2, 2023 in Austin, Texas.
Similarly, in a July 2011 interview with Playboy magazine, Sudeikis opened up about the bond he shared with his uncle.
“He’s always been very encouraging, but there was no ‘Tuesdays With Morrie’ kind of relationship between him and I,” Sudeikis said, per HuffPost.
“He was just a good example that being an actor was a viable option,” he continued. “Here’s a guy from the Midwest, in my family, who took the road less traveled and it worked out for him. The advice he gave me, and I say this jokingly, is ‘Get on one of the best sitcoms of all time and then ride it out.’ “
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Wendt died at age 76 on the morning of May 20. In a statement to PEOPLE, his publicist Melissa Nathan confirmed, “Beloved actor and comedian, George Wendt, best known for starring in the NBC hit comedy Cheers, has passed away.”
“George’s family confirmed the news of his death early Tuesday morning, announcing he died peacefully in his sleep while at home,” the statement continued. “George was a doting family man, a well-loved friend and confidant to all of those lucky enough to have known him. He will be missed forever.”
Read the original article on People
