American comedian Bob Newhart dead at 94, publicist says

American stand-up comedy legend Bob Newhart, whose deadpan delivery style earned him numerous awards, has died at the age of 94.

The star of TV series The Bob Newhart Show, Newhart passed away after a series of short illnesses, his publicist said in a statement provided to the BBC on Thursday.

Newhart became a stand-up comic after starting his career as an accountant in Chicago. He went on to guest-host Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show 87 times.

More recently, he starred in classic Christmas film Elf and The Big Bang Theory.

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