bob newhart is one of the most legendary and recognizable comedians his deadpan humor and
distinctive stutter set him apart from other comedians born in 1929 it wasn't until 1958
that bob launched his career as a comedian it took him a long time to discover his true passion still
his career has lasted well over six decades and he's kept well in the public eye over the years
even at 91 years old newhart is still performing but close friends and long time fans are beginning
to realize he's slowing down despite remaining in the public eye it's obvious that bob newhart is a
shadow of his former self in today's video we're going to take a look at newhart's failing health
as well as look back at some of the fascinating stories behind his career
the long road to becoming a comedian bob newhart has had a long rich career as a comedian but he
dabbled in a lot of other careers before finding his true calling growing up newhart had no idea
he wanted to go into comedy he attended loyola university of chicago and after graduating in
1952 he was drafted into the army and served in the korean war after being discharged in 1954
he tried to get a degree in law but an internship left a bad taste in his mouth after he was
encouraged to behave immorally instead he decided to work as an accountant for united states gypsum
after a while newhart realized he wasn't precise enough to really excel as an accountant and he
frequently used the motto that's close enough while working he quit his job and soon found
work as an advertising copywriter he worked under producer fred a niles who helped him learn more
about the world of film and tv while working he and his co-worker engaged in a lot of hilarious
banter and after spending a lot of time making up skits and funny scenarios they decided to record
their phone calls they sent their work to a few different radio stations and finally
landed work on a talk show thus bob newhart's career as a comedian started to take form
bob's scary visit to the hospital after six decades of working in show business it's clear
new heart is slowing down while he's now trying to take better care of his health he's admitted
that one terrible habit likely shortened his lifespan by a lot in the 50s 60s and 70s new heart
was a heavy smoker he realized that nearly every photograph of himself during that time featured
him holding a cigarette in 1985 his habit ended up having dangerous consequences one day he developed
a heavy nosebleed that refused to stop he went to the hospital immediately and the doctors diagnosed
him with secondary polycythemia a condition that causes excessive production of red blood cells and
increases a person's risk of stroke new heart was scared straight immediately and within weeks he
had quit smoking altogether thankfully the scary condition subsided and he felt much healthier
still it's undeniable that several decades of smoking took a toll on his body why he changed
his name before becoming famous it's common for celebrities to change their names so they
sound more catchy or glamorous when new heart was born his parents named him george robert newhart
while growing up in the 40s however newhart became increasingly frustrated with his name at the time
let george do it was a popular idiom which was commonly used to describe passing responsibility
onto another person people thought it was funny to continuously use the phrase as a joke around
him since he shared the same name newhart may be a master of comedy but it doesn't mean he can always
take a joke after a while he grew so tired of the joke he changed his name to bob of course he's so
well recognized that people couldn't even imagine what it would be like if he'd kept his old name
fans thought he was going to die at 89. people have been thinking more and more about bob
newhart's mortality in the past few years even the comedian himself has admitted he thinks about
death a lot more than he used to but two years ago bob hosted a party that left fans wondering if he
was secretly saying goodbye on september 4th a day before his birthday bob celebrated turning
89 with close friends and family at a restaurant in hollywood people remarked he seemed much more
sad than normal and they wondered if he knew his life was drawing to a close part of the reason
for the melancholy atmosphere was likely because his former co-star bill daley had just passed away
rendering what should have been a happy occasion far sadder perhaps this was the moment bob newhart
realized he didn't have much time left and spent his birthday reflecting on his own mortality
another reason for newhart's increased sadness has also become increasingly apparent over the years
stick around to find out how and if you're enjoying this video be sure to give it a like
and subscribe to first if you haven't already bob newhart is a shadow of his former self new
heart may continue to perform and guest star in shows but it's clear he's nearing the end
of his life what's scary is he now only weighs about 105 pounds despite the fact that old age
is slowing down his body his mind remains sharp as ever in one interview he explained
he didn't feel like he was over 90 years old because he's as witty as he's ever been
his comedy album once beat the king with bob newhart's life evidently drawing to a close
it's more important than ever to reflect on his amazing legacy throughout his career the legendary
comedian has released a total of 11 different comedy albums as a result they've also won a
total of three grammys his first album the button down mine of bob newhart was such a huge hit that
it earned him two of those prestigious awards including the 1961 grammy award for album of
the year more amazingly however is the fact that the album topped the billboard charts and even
beat elvis presley and to top it all off newhart's follow-up album the button-down mine strikes back
held second place on the billboard charts while the original held first why is he continuing to
perform at 91 despite his failing health and gaunt appearance bob doesn't appear to be slowing down
when it comes to performing even through kobit he was always ready to perform with his usual deadpan
humor and distinctive stutter but why does he do this his answer is simple laughter he explained
in one interview he's always loved the sound of laughter and it's all he's ever wanted to give
people so even though he's nearing the end of his life he's determined to bring laughter to others
for as long as he can bob newhart has tragically outlived all his friends even though bob appears
to be in good spirits during his performances it's clear that time has taken a toll on him
his closest friend don rickles passed away in 2017 leaving him incredibly depressed he's also
outlived many of his other co-stars including bill daley marsha wallace tom poston and suzanne
pochette now bob is one of the few comedians left of his generation and it's clear he misses his old
friends dearly bob may be determined to continue performing comedy for as long as he can but he's
probably ready for whatever great journey comes after death he has spent decades entertaining
us and he's getting ready to take one long final rest bob has had a long rich career as a comedian
but some believe he's beginning to slow down were you surprised to learn that bob newhart is still
remaining in the public eye and continuing to do comedy despite his failing health let us know in
the comment section below and before you go make sure you give this video a like and subscribe to
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