Frances Sternhagen, Cheers and ER Vet, Dead at 93
Tony-winning actress Frances Sternhagen, best known to TV audiences as Cliff Clavin’s mother on Cheers and Dr. Carter’s grandmother on ER, died Monday. She was 93.
Sternhagen’s death was confirmed Wednesday by her son, actor John Carlin, on Instagram.
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“[Frances] died peacefully at her home, a month and a half shy of her 94th birthday,” Carlin wrote. “She was beloved by many. I’m very lucky I was able to call her my mom, my friend, my song and dance partner. We were together last week, and we spoke Monday afternoon, said how much we loved and missed one another.
“Fly on, Frannie,” he concluded. “The curtain goes down on a life so richly, passionately, humbly and generously lived.”
Sternhagen’s ER grandson, Noah Wyle, also paid tribute to his late co-star, writing on Instagram, “So very saddened to hear of the passing of the incomparable Frances Sternhagen. I’m ever grateful for the times we shared the scenes we played. May flocks of angels sing thee to thy rest.”
In addition to her Must-See stints on ER and Cheers, Sternhagen also played mom to Kyle MacLachlan’s Trey on Sex and the City, Craig T. Nelson’s Zeek on Parenthood and Kyra Sedgwick’s Brenda on The Closer.
Additional TV credits for Sternhagen include The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd, Law & Order, The Simpsons, Becker, Another World and One Life to Live.
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