George Wendt, best known for playing Norm Peterson on the long-running sitcom Cheers, has died. He was 76.

The actor died on the morning of Tuesday, 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.”

“The family has requested privacy during this time.”

Wendt was born in Chicago in 1948. He was one of nine children; his sister Kathryn is the mother of actor and comedian Jason Sudeikis. He flunked out of Notre Dame and then worked at his father’s real estate office in Chicago before graduating from Rockhurst College.

In 1974, he started training in comedy at Chicago’s The Second City theater. There he met Bernadette Birkett, whom he married in 1978. He and his wife shared three children: Hilary, Joe, and Daniel.

Although he ultimately succeeded as a comedian, he was fired by the theater once and quit once. “I sucked, basically,” he told The AV Club in 2009. “‘Sucked out loud,’ I think was the quote.” He added, “For somebody who made his living at it for six years, I’m probably the worst improviser of all time.”

Wendt’s earliest roles included small parts on series including Hart to Hart, Soap, Taxi and M*A*S*H. He also appeared in a handful of films, including My Bodyguard, Jekyll and Hyde… Together Again and Airplane II: The Sequel.

In 1982, he was cast on the sitcom Making the Grade, which was canceled after six episodes. This allowed Wendt to join the cast of Cheers, which premiered the same year. His character, Norm Peterson, was a frequent customer at the bar, and one of only three characters to appear in every episode.