Jon Cryer, who starred in the 1984 film No Small Affair with Wendt, tells PEOPLE he "met George on one of my first movies and every day we shot together I kind of couldn’t believe it. That I was working with one of my favorite actors in television and he was just such an absolute prince."

“George Wendt was as lovable as the character he played on Cheers. It was the perfect marriage of actor and character. George was a gentleman and a gentle man. Norm was America’s favorite barfly, and as the theme song said, everybody knew his name. And shouted it when he walked through the door. We were blessed to have him in our lives.”

Sudeikis recalled the story in September 2017 while speaking to The A.V. Club on the red carpet of the “Second City’s Roast Of George Wendt” event he hosted in honor of his uncle, who died May 20 at age 76, NBC News has confirmed.

Jason Sudeikis shared a heartfelt memory of his uncle George Wendt years before the 'Cheers' star died "peacefully in his sleep" at age 76 on May 20.

Mailman Cliff Clavin (John Ratzenberger) was the literal USPS-blue-collar worker on Cheers, but his good buddy Norm Peterson ( George Wendt ), an accountant, was its everyman. Wendt passed on Tuesday of natural causes. He was 76.

George Wendt adeptly played the role of a deluded Chicago sports fan who always believed in his teams, despite evidence to the contrary.

Late 'Cheers' actor George Wendt's legacy includes iconic TV moments and unforgettable stories with co-stars like Ted Danson, Woody Harrelson, John Ratzenberger and Kirstie Alley.

In his Wednesday monologue, Jimmy Kimmel enjoyed the rare opportunity to deliver an inside scoop at Fox & Friends’ expense. “This is an exclusive,“ Kimmel bragged. ”This is an e-mail I obtained from a source.