George Wendt reportedly died of natural causes, and one has to respect Kelsey Grammer being caught off-guard and not wanting to speak publicly right away. Despite not issuing a statement or paying tribute in the press, Grammer said he did reach out to Wendt’s family. The Frasier star continued:

Kelsey Grammer is reflecting on his longtime pal George Wendt. The actor, 70, starred alongside the actor, who died at age 76 on Tuesday, on the NBC sitcom “Cheers” for eight seasons from 1984 to 1993. Now, Grammer is speaking out following Wendt’s passing, revealing that “it was a bit of a surprise.”