Eddie Doyle, a longtime bartender at the Bull and Finch Pub known worldwide as Cheers, died Tuesday.
Doyle became the inspiration for the character Sam Malone after producers met him at the bar, helping spark one of television's most successful sitcoms.
Beyond the show, Doyle was known for decades of charitable fundraising in Boston, raising thousands of dollars for children's and cancer-related causes.
It is believed that Doyle was 79.
(Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)
Photo: VALERIE MACON / AFP / Getty Images