February 6, 2018 – (Above) Actor John Mahoney at the Museum of Broadcast Communications in River North in 2012. The Tony winner and Frasier star died on Sunday at the age of 77. He was born in England, but Chicago was his artistic home, a member of the Steppenwolf Theatre ensemble since 1979.

“John Mahoney was a fixture on the Chicago stage for over 30 years through countless award-winning performances,” said Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel. “Though he will be missed, his work and impact will endure for generations to come.”

Mahoney (far left), along with long-time broadcaster Hugh Downs, museum president Bruce DuMont, and actress Betty White, cut the ribbon to officially open Museum of Broadcast Communications on June 13, 2012. (Click on images to view larger versions.)

“What gets me most about broadcast in Chicago, I don’t know why, but I love the radio in Chicago,” he said at the museum in 2012. “I love all the people associated with radio,” mentioning specifically Roy Leonard, Studs Terkel, and “Mancow” Muller. Steppenwolf cancelled the opening night performance of You Got Older and invited the audience to instead gather at the theater’s Front Bar. (Right) Mahoney, best known as Marty Crane on the NBC sitcom Frasier, poses for a photo while awaiting an interview with Chicago 3 Media at the 25th Anniversary Salute to the Museum of Broadcast Communications on June 13, 2012.

(Left) Radio personalities Mancow Muller and Terri Hemmert and British-born actor John Mahoney find something amusing after the 2012 program concluded.