Beloved Bartender Who Inspired 'Cheers' Character Dead at 85
The city of Boston has lost one of its most beloved citizens after it was reported that Eddie Doyle died on Tuesday.
The beloved bartender at The Bull & Finch Pub on Beacon Street in Boston was purportedly the inspiration behind Ted Danson's Sam Malone character in Cheers. It's reported that Doyle tended there for decades, and he was the heart and soul of the famous bar where everybody knows your name.
According to Boston's WCVB, producers walked into the bar and met Doyle, who was always cheery and developed close friendships with locals coming in for a brew or two.
Eddie Doyle died Tuesday.
— WCVB-TV Boston (@WCVB) January 23, 2026
Doyle was the heart and soul of the world's most famous bar — "Cheers," otherwise known as "The Bull & Finch Pub," on Beacon Street in Boston. He was a fixture there for decades.https://t.co/YWbx31waBg pic.twitter.com/1x8fpwLJqB
The producers left with a story in mind, and that became Cheers, a legendary NBC sitcom that aired 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993, starring Danson, George Wendt, Shelley Long, Woody Harrelson, Rhea Perlman, John Ratzenberger, Kristie Alley, and Kelsey Grammer.
The bar bills itself as your friendly neighborhood bar that got a little bigger after Cheers.
Doyle was more than just a fixture at arguably the world's most famous bar; he was reportedly also incredibly invested in his community.
WCVB reports that, for years, Doyle held fundraisers for several charities, including The Neely House and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
He was 85.