JAY THOMAS,
1948-2017

Comedian and beloved actor Jay Thomas has died after a battle with cancer. He was 69.

Don Buchwald, his friend and agent of 35 years, reported the sad news saying, “Jay was one of a kind, never at a loss for words and filled with so much fun and wonderfully whacky thoughts and behavior."

Thomas’ wife Sally and his sons Sam, Max and J.T. were by his side at home in Santa Barbara when he passed.

Jay Thomas had a long career in radio before moving on to roles in Murphy Brown, Cheers and Ray Donovan—among many other series—he held down the morning show slot on Power 106-Los Angeles for several years and was still active on the air to this day, hosting a popular program on SiriusXM.

One of Thomas' best-loved bits involved an annual stint on the David Letterman Show, re-telling the hilarious "Lone Ranger" story, which was recited at every Christmas program (along with the Christmas Tree Meatball skit) from 1998 until 2014, shortly before Letterman retired.

He'll be profoundly missed.