Classic sitcom Night Court dependably delivered laughs on NBC for the better part of a decade between the early 80s and early 90s. Unfortunately, we have some sad news for fans of the series and its star. Night Court leading man Harry Anderson has passed away. He was 65 years old at the time of his death.
Harry Anderson passed away on the morning of Monday, April 16. He was at his home in Asheville, North Carolina at the time of his death. The Asheville Police Department responded to a call at 6:41 a.m. and went to Anderson's house, where he was found deceased. In a statement to THR, the Asheville Police Department revealed that no foul play is suspected. No cause of death has been revealed at this point. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Morgan. They had been married since 2000.
As an actor, Harry Anderson is undoubtedly best known for his role as young municipal court judge Harry T. Stone on Night Court. The series ran from 1984 all the way until 1992, for a grand total of nine seasons and 193 episodes. Night Court cemented itself as a valuable part of the NBC lineup. It established itself as the anchor of NBC's early "Must See TV" lineup on Thursdays from 1984 to 1988. Viewers could always count on Judge Harry Stone, the supporting ensemble (including none other than John Larroquette), and Night Court for plenty of laughs. Check out just one classic example of Harry Anderson comedy:
Even if you weren't a viewer of Night Court during its run on NBC, you may have seen Harry Anderson in some of his other great projects. He appeared on Cheers, which actually ran concurrently with Night Court and even shared the "Must See TV" lineup. He would go on to star as Dave Barry in the TV series Dave's World, which ran from 1993 to 1997 for 98 episodes. Horror fans may know him best for his role in the original IT miniseries, in which Anderson played the adult Richie Tozier. Harry Anderson leaves behind a strong legacy of comedy and entertainment. For a man who got his start in TV with a guest spot on Saturday Night Live, he went a long way, and he will be missed.
Our thoughts here at CinemaBlend go out to the friends, family, and loved ones of Harry Anderson in this difficult time. If you're now in the mood to relive some of Harry Anderson's most wonderful moments during his years on Night Court, the full series (and individual seasons and episodes) are available for purchase on iTunes and Amazon.
