Overview
- His family confirmed to People late Friday that James “Jimmy” Burrows died at 85 and “passed away peacefully” surrounded by loved ones.
- Burrows directed more than 1,000 television episodes over five decades and won 11 Emmy Awards along with multiple Directors Guild honors and a Television Hall of Fame induction.
- He co-created Cheers with Glen and Les Charles and directed the vast majority of its episodes while also shaping pilots and runs for shows such as Frasier, Friends and Will & Grace.
- Networks, the Directors Guild and former cast members from shows including Friends, Will & Grace and Taxi issued public tributes that highlighted his mentorship and influence on ensemble comedy.
- News outlets report small discrepancies in secondary details — including whether he died in his sleep or after a brief illness and exact survivor counts — and no official cause or location of death has been released.