Jason Sudeikis Tribute To Late Uncle George Wendt Resurfaces

Actor and comedian Jason Sudeikis' favorite story about his uncle, Cheers star George Wendt, resurfaced following the latter's death this week.

Sudeikis had previously shared a childhood memory alongside Wendt, the brother of his mother, Kathy, during an interview with the A.V. Club at Second City's Roast of George Wendt event in 2017, according to PEOPLE.

“We all went out to California to visit and George had just gotten a new car,” Sudeikis, a native of Kansas City, reflected at the time. “It was a bada** BMW with, like, manual drive, which I’d never seen before, you know, I was pretty young.”

“He took me and my dad for a ride,” he added, with Wendt laughing during the retelling. “My dad sat shotgun. I was in the back all by myself. This is not when you needed, you know, mandatory seatbelts.”

Wendt drove Sudeikis and his father through Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles, which he claimed to have navigated "hundreds and thousands of times."

“He had my dad holding onto [the car] like nothing you’ve ever seen. And I’m just, like, sliding around the background just because the seats were brand new," Sudeikis said. “I hold that memory very fondly."

Wendt's family said he died peacefully at the age of 76 in his sleep at his home early Tuesday (May 20) morning, though his official cause of death has not yet been publicly revealed.

“George was a doting family man, a well-loved friend and confidant to all of those lucky enough to have known him,” a rep for Wendt said in a statement obtained by the Hollywood Reporter. “He will be missed forever. The family has requested privacy during this time.”

Wendt, a Chicago native got his first big break with the famed Second City improvisational comedy troupe in the 1970s and appeared in several television shows and films before landing his signature role on Cheers in 1982, appearing in all 275 episodes from 1982 to 1993 -- an accomplishment only matched by Ted Danson and Rhea Perlman -- and receiving six consecutive Emmy nominations for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series.

Wendt also appeared as Bob Swerski in the iconic reoccurring 'Bill Swerski's Superfans' Saturday Night Live skits as the brother of the title character, played by Joe Mantegna in the original sketch that aired when he hosted the show on January 12, 1991, with Bob taking over as host in subsequent sketches. Sudeikis, who took on the role of Todd O'Connor previously played by the late Chris Farley, appeared alongside his uncle and longtime SNL writer Robert Smigel in a 'Super Fans' skit with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and quarterback Patrick Mahomes for the Big Slick Celebrity Weekend in Kansas City last year.

Wendt's film credits also include Dreamscape (1984), House (1985), Fletch (1985), Gung Ho (1986), Plains Clothes (1987), Never Say Die (1988), Guilty by Suspicion (1991), Forever Young (1992) and Spice World (1997).