Bob Newhart, the iconic comedian known for his deadpan delivery, two eponymous sitcoms and his role as Papa Elf in the holiday classic “Elf,” has died at age 94, his longtime publicist Jerry Digney announced on Thursday.
The Emmy winner died after “a series of short illnesses,” Digney said in a press release. He called Newhart’s passing the “end of an era in comedy.”
The press release highlighted a Newhart quote that reflected his typically modest approach to his long career: “In 1959, I gave myself a year to make it in comedy; it was back to accounting if comedy didn’t work out.”