Jay Thomas, actor and renowned LA radio host, dies at 69

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Thursday, August 24, 2017
Actor Jay Thomas attends The Cinema Society & Montblanc screening of IFC Films' "Hateship Loveship" at Museum of Modern Art on April 8, 2014 in New York City.
Actor Jay Thomas, known for his roles in "Cheers" and "Murphy Brown," died on August 24, 2017.
Jim Spellman/WireImage

LOS ANGELES -- Jay Thomas, a renowned Los Angeles radio host and Emmy Award-winning actor, has died. He was 69 years old.



Thomas' agent, Don Buchwald, confirmed the actor's death from cancer in a statement.



"Jay was one of a kind, never at a loss for words and filled with so much fun and wonderfully whacky thoughts and behavior," the statement read.



No other details of his death were released.



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In this Feb. 10, 2012 file photo, actor Max von Sydow poses at the International Film Festival Berlinale, in Berlin.
AP Photo/Gero Breloer, File

A Texas native, Thomas broke into television playing Remo DaVinci on "Mork & Mindy." He later landed a recurring role as the hockey-playing husband of Rhea Perlman's character on "Cheers."



He won back-to-back Emmys in 1991-92 for the guest role on "Murphy Brown," playing outspoken talk-show host Jerry Gold.



Thomas had a recurring role on "Ray Donovan" and he made a 2105 guest appearance on "Bones." He appeared in a series of films over the years, including "Mr. Holland's Opus."



Thomas worked briefly at KISS in Boston before being hired by then new Rhythmic Top 40 KPWR/Los Angeles as their new morning host. He hosted the Power 106-FM "Morning Zoo" radio program for 10 years, according to a bio on Thomas' website.



While in Hollywood, Thomas' campaign "We apologize for Jay Thomas on Power 106-fm" was seen all around town.



Most recently, Thomas hosted a talk show on SiriusXM.



City News Service contributed to this report.

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