Bob Newhart, the celebrated comedian known for his deadpan humor and stammering delivery, died Thursday morning, July 18, 2024, at his home in Los Angeles, California after a series of short illnesses, according to his longtime publicist, Jerry Digney. He was 94.

Newhart’s career spanned over six decades, making significant impacts on both stand-up comedy and television. Born George Robert Newhart on September 5, 1929, in Oak Park, Illinois, Newhart initially worked as an accountant before finding fame in comedy. His first major success came with his 1960 comedy album, “The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart,” which became the first comedy album to reach the top of the Billboard charts and won Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Best New Artist.

“I tend to find humor in the macabre. I would say 85 percent of me is what you see on the show. And the other 15 percent is a very sick man with a very deranged mind,” Newhart said during a 1990 interview with Los Angeles magazine.

Newhart’s comedy was characterized by his unique one-sided phone conversations, where he would portray only his side of the dialogue, leaving the other half to the audience’s imagination. His deadpan delivery and observational humor made him a beloved figure in American comedy.

In 1972, Newhart was cast as Dr. Bob Hartley, a Chicago psychologist, in “The Bob Newhart Show.” The sitcom became a staple of American television, running for six seasons and earning critical acclaim. Despite its success, Newhart did not win any Emmy Awards for his work on the show. He ended the series in 1978 after 142 episodes, feeling it had “exhausted its bag of tricks.”

Newhart returned to television in 1982 with another hit sitcom, “Newhart,” where he played Dick Loudon, a New York author turned Vermont innkeeper. The show was a mainstay on CBS for eight seasons. The series finale featured one of television’s most memorable endings, with Newhart’s character waking up next to Suzanne Pleshette, his wife from “The Bob Newhart Show,” suggesting the entire series had been a dream.

“Somehow there’s a connection between numbers and music and comedy. I don’t know what it is, but I know it’s there,” Newhart once said in an interview with a college business professor. “I know it’s a case of 2 and 2 equals 5 in terms of a comedian. You take this fact and you take that fact and then you come up with this ludicrous fact.”

Despite his extensive career, Newhart did not win an Emmy Award until 2013 when he guest-starred as Professor Proton on “The Big Bang Theory.” His role as the former host of a children’s science show earned him the Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series award.

In addition to his television work, Newhart appeared in several films, including “Catch-22,” “Elf,” and “Horrible Bosses.” He also provided voice work for animated films like “The Rescuers” and its sequel.

Newhart was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame in 1992 and received the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2002. A statue in his honor was erected on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue, featuring his likeness seated in a chair with an empty psychiatrist’s couch beside him.

“Keep in mind, when I started in the late fifties, I didn’t say to myself, ‘Oh, here’s a great void to fill — I’ll be a balding ex-accountant who specializes in low-key humor,’ ” Newhart said. “That’s simply what I was and that’s the direction my mind always went in, so it was natural for me to be that way.”

Newhart was married to Virginia “Ginnie” Quinn, the daughter of actor Bill Quinn, from January 1963 until her death in April 2023. They were introduced by comedian Buddy Hackett, who thought they would be a perfect match because they were both Catholic. The couple had four children: Robert Jr., Timothy, Courtney, and Jennifer, and ten grandchildren.

Bob Newhart’s contributions to comedy and television are vast and enduring. His unique style, characterized by his pauses and stammering delivery, brought a distinct charm to his performances that endeared him to millions. He leaves behind a legacy of laughter and warmth, cherished by fans and fellow comedians alike.