John Mahoney, one of TV's favorite dads, has died. The actor passed away in Chicago on Sunday while in hospice care, his manager Paul Martino confirmed. He was 77.
Mahoney was best known for playing Martin Crane, the cranky father of Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) and Niles (David Hyde Pierce) on the hit NBC series Frasier. He was one of the staple characters on the show and starred in all 11 seasons. The beloved performance earned the actor a SAG Award in 2000, and he also received two Emmy and two Golden Globe nominations.
The actor was born in England in 1940 and later moved to Illinois, where he received U.S. citizenship in 1959. Mahoney began his acting career when he was in his early 40s, making his film debut in 1985's Code of Silence. He went on to star in other movies like Tin Men, Moonstruck, Eight Men Out, Say Anything, and In the Line of Fire before landing one of the lead roles on Frasier in 1993. The critically acclaimed show ran until 2004. In the midst of Frasier's success, Mahoney balanced TV and film roles with Reality Bites, Primal Fear, Antz and The Iron Giant.
Following the end of Frasier, his most notable TV role was Roy in TV Land's Hot in Cleveland. Actors, fans, critics and network executives have all shared their condolences following the news of Mahoney's death. "Great actor - lovely kind human -any time you saw him you left feeling better - RIP John," his Say Anything co-star John Cusack tweeted.
Mahoney had no children and was never married.
