Comedian Bob Newhart has passed away at the age of 94 after a series of short illnesses, his publicist Jerry Digney confirmed. Newhart, born in September 1929 in Oak Park, Illinois, graduated from Loyola University Chicago before being drafted into the United States Army and discharged in 1954. He rose to fame with his 1960 album “The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart,” which won the 1961 Grammy Award for Album of the Year and earned him Best New Artist.

Newhart’s successful comedy career led him to television, starring in the hit series “The Bob Newhart Show” from 1972-1978 and later “Newhart” from 1982-1990. He created two more series, “Bob” and “George & Leo,” and had notable guest roles in shows like “ER,” “Desperate Housewives,” and “The Big Bang Theory,” for which he won an Emmy. Married to Virginia Quinn since 1963, Newhart is survived by his children and grandchildren, following his wife’s passing in April 2023 at the age of 82.