Bob Newhart, whose trademark deadpan delivery made him one of the most enduring TV comedians of the 1970s and ’80s, died at his Los Angeles home Thursday at the age of 94 after a short illness, his longtime publicist confirmed.
The Chicago-born Newhart was a 31-year-old former accountant and copywriter in 1960, when he decided to give standup a try by pressing two comedy albums, The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart, which spent 14 weeks on the Billboard 200 charts, and follow-up The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back!, which hit No. 1. The latter also won Grammys for Album of the Year and Comedy Album of the Year. Newhart himself was named Best New Artist.
