As our cherished classic TV shows and films become memories over time, the performers who brought their endearing characters to life inevitably age along with us. This often leads to the somber news of their passing. Yet, we find solace in being able to revisit their performances through reruns or streaming services after they are gone.

The series “WKRP in Cincinnati” aired 90 episodes from 1978 to 1982, earning 10 Emmy nominations and one win for editor Andy Ackerman in 1981. Understandably, for a show that first aired nearly 50 years ago, many actors, crew, and guest stars have since passed away. However, several notable stars of “WKRP” remain, including Tim Reid (who played the laid-back DJ Venus Flytrap), Gary Sandy (station director Andy Travis), Richard Sanders (the quirky newsman Les Nessman), and Jan Smithers (office administrator Bailey Quarters).

Unfortunately, these four “WKRP” actors have had to bid farewell to numerous colleagues and friends they worked with on set. Let’s spend some moments remembering the lives and careers of the “WKRP in Cincinnati” actors who have passed away since the show concluded.

Howard Hesseman was likely the most familiar face among the “WKRP” cast when he took on the role of high-profile DJ Johnny Fever. Hesseman was a staple on “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” in the late ’60s and appeared on shows like “Rhoda,” “Mannix,” and “Sanford and Son” during the ’60s and ’70s. During “WKRP’s” early years, he appeared as Mr. Franklin in a seven-episode stint on “Soap” and continued to stay busy even after “WKRP” ended. In 1982 and 1983, Hesseman featured in 16 episodes of “One Day at a Time” as Sam Royer, the new spouse of Bonnie Franklin’s character Ann Romano. He rejoined the lead role scene portraying teacher Charlie Moore on “Head of the Class,” a sitcom that aired for five seasons from 1986 through 1991.

Hesseman reprised his role as Johnny Fever in 10 episodes of “The New WKRP” during its initial two seasons but stepped back from acting afterwards. In 2001, he appeared in a three-episode stint on “That ’70s Show” as Max, a radio manager who hires Laura Prepon’s character, Donna Pinciotti, as his assistant. Hesseman also appeared as a judge in three episodes of “Boston Legal” between 2006 and 2007 and had two appearances on “Fresh Off the Boat” in 2017. Most of his other film work consisted of guest roles on shows such as “Chicago Med,” “Mike and Molly,” and “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.”

Howard Hesseman passed away in 2022 at the age of 81 due to complications following colon surgery, leaving behind his wife, Caroline Ducrocq, and three godchildren. Following his passing, Hesseman’s long-time manager Robbie Kass remarked to Variety, “Howard was a pioneering talent and lifelong friend whose kindness and generosity were matched by his impact and admiration from generations of actors and improv comedians worldwide.”

Loni Anderson’s acting career took off when she landed her role on “WKRP in Cincinnati” as Jennifer Marlowe, the smart, outgoing station receptionist/executive assistant. After 89 episodes of the original series, Anderson returned for two episodes of “The New WKRP in Cincinnati” in the early ’90s, by which point she had parlayed her breakout role into a thriving film and TV career. Her only two Emmy nominations came in 1980 and 1981 for her work on the original series, but her major post-“WKRP” TV roles include playing Casey MacAfee on “Empty Nest” and “Nurses” and Mandi Mullet-Heidecker on the underappreciated early 2000s comedy “The Mullets.”

Anderson had a three-episode arc in Season 4 of “Melrose Place” as scheming pageant mom Teri Carson and appeared in the 1998 SNL sketch-based comedy film “A Night at the Roxbury.” In that film, she plays Barbara Butabi, the mother of club-going main characters Steve (Will Ferrell) and Doug (Chris Kattan).

Anderson died on August 3, 2025, days short of her 80th birthday. Her publicist, Cheryl J. Kagan, said her death came after a long illness, and Anderson’s family released a statement reading, “We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our dear wife, mother and grandmother.” She married folk musician Bob Flick from The Brothers Four in 2008 and leaves behind two children (one from her first marriage to the late Burt Reynolds) and four grandchildren.

Gordon Jump anchored the cast of “WKRP in Cincinnati” as the in-over-his-head station manager, Arthur “The Big Guy” Carlson. Jump was one of a handful of the show’s stars to appear on all 90 episodes of “WKRP” (including the show’s most infamous episode, where Mr. Carlson dreams up a catastrophic Thanksgiving stunt involving live turkeys), and he returned to the role for “The New WKRP in Cincinnati,” starring in all 47 episodes of the spin-off as well. He went on to appear on such iconic ’90s series as “Baywatch,” “Married With Children,” and “Empty Nest.” He also appeared on two episodes of “Seinfeld” in its ninth and final season in 1997 as Play Now boss Mr. Thomassoulo. His character hires George Costanza (Jason Alexander) for a short time before he learns George is faking a disability to get perks like a prime parking spot and private bathroom.

Following a nearly 15-year run as the lonely Maytag repairman in the appliance company’s commercials, Jump died in 2003 at age 71 from pulmonary fibrosis. His obituary in Backstage included two memorable quotes about his time in that role. “He very much enjoyed the work he did for Maytag and kept on working at it as long as it was really possible,” said Jump’s stepson Chris McKeever. Maytag president Bill Beer added, “Being dependable came naturally to Gordon, both in his acting life and in his real life. In reality, Gordon was anything but lonely — everywhere he went, people gravitated to him.”

Although Arthur Carlson oversaw day-to-day operations at WKRP, the station was owned by his hard-charging mother, Lillian, played by Carol Bruce. Born Shirley Levy in 1919 on Long Island, New York, she performed at New York nightclubs in her teens. Bruce’s filmography stretches back to 1937, when she was just 18 years old. She appeared as Lillian on 10 episodes of the original “WKRP in Cincinnati” and five episodes of the ’90s spin-off. In between those two series, in 1987, she played Joy, the mother of Neal (Steve Martin) in “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.”

After “The New WKRP in Cincinnati,” Bruce’s filmography was mostly limited to guest appearances on shows like “Party of Five,” “Diagnosis Murder,” and “Pacific Palisades.” Her last acting gig was as Petra Strauss on a 1999 episode of “Profiler.” She died in 2007 of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). She was survived by her daughter, one sister, two grandsons, and four great-grandsons.

Allyn Ann McLerie was an established Broadway star before becoming a fixture on TV in the late ’70s and early ’80s. She appeared on four episodes of “WKRP in Cincinnati” as Arthur Carlson’s wife, Carmen, and supplemented her 44 appearances as Janet Reubner on “The Tony Randall Show” with guest roles or shorter arcs on “Dynasty,” “The Love Boat,” “Webster,” and “Simon & Simon.” She also played Baby’s (Melora Hardin) mother on a single episode of the short-lived “Dirty Dancing” series in 1988. The native of Grand Mere, Quebec, brought Carmen back for one episode of “The New WKRP in Cincinnati,” but the rest of her filmography includes just two episodes of “Brooklyn Bridge” and an uncredited appearance in “Police Academy: Mission to Moscow” in the early ’90s.

Her husband of 60 years, George Gaynes, was also a prolific actor who starred as Commandant Lassard in the “Police Academy” movies. Gaynes died in 2016 at age 98, and McLerie succumbed to complications from Alzheimer’s disease two years later at age 91. They left behind a daughter, granddaughter, and two great-granddaughters. Actor William Daniels, a longtime friend of McLerie best known for playing Dr. Mark Craig on “St. Elsewhere,” told The New York Times he immediately recognized her talent when they met as children. “I just looked at her and my heart melted,” he said. “She had a beautiful voice. She could act. She could dance. She could do the whole thing.”

Frank Bonner appeared on every episode of “WKRP in Cincinnati” as ethically compromised sales manager Herb Tarlek, who courts questionable advertisers and constantly makes inappropriate remarks to Jennifer. He returned for “The New WKRP in Cincinnati,” appearing in every episode of that series as well. Bonner appeared on five episodes of “Saved by the Bell: The New Class” as Ed Harrington in the late ’90s, but had less than a dozen acting roles after that. 

Bonner turned his focus to directing, serving in that capacity for 105 episodes of “City Guys” and 19 installments of “USA High.” His last directing gig was in 2010 on the TV series “Desire and Deceit,” and his last acting credit was in the 2014 Owen Williams film “Under the Hollywood Sign.” Bonner died in 2021 from complications of Lewy body dementia, leaving behind his wife of 15 years, Gayle Hardage, and four children. The man who was born in Little Rock as Frank W. Boers had little respect for his “WKRP” character’s character. “Herb is the kind of guy who gets so drunk at a business dinner that he forgets to make the deal,” Bonner observed. “He is tasteless. Look at the clothes he wears, and the pinky ring.”

Ian Wolfe was born in 1896 in Canton, Illinois, and served in World War I before turning to acting. Throughout the ’30s and ’40s, he had roles in best picture Oscar-winning films “Mutiny on the Bounty,” “You Can’t Take It with You,” and “Mrs. Miniver.” He later built his television acting resume with appearances on shows like “Taxi,” “Soap,” and “All in the Family,” and was 85 when he appeared on four episodes of “WKRP in Cincinnati” as Mrs. Carlson’s butler, Hirsch. He stayed busy after the series ended, with appearances on “The Facts of Life,” “Remington Steele,” and “The Fall Guy.”

Wolfe’s last role was as a small-time criminal in 1990’s Warren Beatty/Madonna “Dick Tracy” film, and he told the Los Angeles Times in 1981 that a career as a character actor was not for the timid. “It all seems so glamorous, such a wonderful way to make money,” he said. “It isn’t. There are terrific disappointments both professionally and artistically. I literally damn near starved to death and had to borrow money to keep the kids eating.”

Wolfe died in 1992 at age 95, leaving behind his wife, Elizabeth, two daughters, and a filmography of more than 300 projects. He credited his role as Maggs in “Mutiny on the Bounty” with jumpstarting his career when he was just shy of 40 years old. “This not only saved me professionally,” he noted, “but actually allowed me and my family of four to exist physically and financially.”

Mary Frann was well-known for her 400-plus appearances as Amanda Howard on “Days of Our Lives” when she guest starred on two Season 3 episodes of “WKRP in Cincinnati” as TV dance show producer Avis Dropkin. She then starred on “Newhart” as innkeeper Joanna Loudon, appearing on all 184 episodes of that show. Frann played Alice on an episode of “Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman” in 1997, but has only two other TV roles on her filmography after that. In 1998, the St. Louis native died in her sleep at age 55, survived by three siblings.

Speaking with the Los Angeles Times, Frann’s publicist, Jeffrey Lane, described the TV star’s charity work with the Los Angeles Mission as the actor’s most lasting legacy and also highlighted her role in creating a “celebrity women’s action committee” with fellow actors Diahann Carroll, Donna Mills, and Joan Van Ark. Bob Newhart, who died in 2024, added that “I always told Mary she was the glue that held it all together,” referring to her role as his co-star on “Newhart.”

Alice Nunn is probably known to far more people as truck driver Large Marge in “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” than for her TV career, but she played two different characters in Season 2 and Season 4 episodes of “WKRP in Cincinnati.” That followed a brief Season 9 arc as Mama Delvecchio on “Happy Days” and led to subsequent appearances on “227,” “Murder She Wrote,” and “My Sister Sam.” 

Nunn’s iconic scene with Paul Reubens — who died in 2023 — is often regarded as one of the scariest sequences ever to be included in a non-horror film. The Jacksonville, Florida, native died in 1988 at age 60 of a heart attack, and she had dealt with strokes, diabetes, and breast cancer before her death. Her filmography stretches back to the mid-’60s and includes roles on “Mayberry R.F.D.,” “Eight is Enough,” and “The Love Boat,” along with a small role in the 1987 Madonna vehicle, “Who’s That Girl.”

Bill Saito had a long and prolific career as an actor and stunt performer beginning in the mid-1950s. Saito’s father was Hawaiian, while his mother hailed from Sacramento, and his Pacific Rim heritage landed him in plenty of roles as Asian characters. Saito moved to Los Angeles as a teenager and later attended UCLA, where he earned four varsity letters in wrestling. That helped him land his first acting role, as a guard for Kralahome (Martin Benson) in the 1956 movie “The King and I.”

The Oklahoma City native played a Japanese businessman on a single Season 1 episode of the original “WKRP in Cincinnati” series and later had guest appearances on “The A-Team,” “Dallas,” and “Doogie Howser, M.D.” He performed stunts in “Big Trouble in Little China” and “The Golden Child,” and his last Hollywood credit was in that capacity in the 1994 organized crime flick “Blue Tiger.”

In the 1977 film “Smokey and the Bandit,” Saito played the truck driver who knocks the door off of Sheriff Buford T. Justice’s (Jackie Gleason) patrol car while letting out a cry of “Banzai!” Saito taught physical education and coached in Los Angeles schools for nearly four decades, and the former Army reservist died in 2012 at age 75. He left behind his wife, Joanne, four children, two grandchildren, and a body of acting and stunt work that lives on to this day.

Silvia Sydney is another “WKRP in Cincinnati” actor with a long career and wide-ranging filmography. She was born in 1910 as Sophia Kosow but took her stepfather’s last name when he adopted her after her parents’ divorce. She grew up in New York and got her start on Broadway at age 16. Sydney worked for Paramount Studios as part of the old Hollywood studio system but hopped from coast to coast to keep her Broadway stage career alive during her prime years.

Sydney played Lillian Carlson in the “WKRP in Cincinnati” pilot, but was replaced in the role by Carol Bruce. The rest of her filmography shows her incredible versatility as a performer; she played Fantine in the 1952 film adaptation of “Les Misérables,” and after helping launch “WKRP in Cincinnati,” she went on to appear on “The Love Boat,” “Magnum P.I.,” and “Trapper John, M.D.” She had a major role in “Beetlejuice” in 1988 as an afterlife caseworker named Juno, for which she earned a Saturn Award as best supporting actress.

She also played Grandma in 1996’s star-studded “Mars Attacks,” and her last role was on 13 episodes of the late ’90s reboot of “Fantasy Island.” Sydney was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960 and died in July 1999 at age 88. Her non-acting legacy includes two books on needlepoint and volunteer work with the National Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Foundation, which she performed after her son Jacob Adler died of the disease in 1987. She was married three times, and her survivors included half-brothers Albert and Edward Kosow.

Kathryn Ish may not have a long or diverse filmography like fellow “WKRP in Cincinnati” actors Sylvia Sidney or Gordon Jump, but she appeared on classic TV shows like “Laverne and Shirley,” “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour,” and “The Love Boat” before making a single appearance on “WKRP” as station secretary Mrs. Woodruff. In the episode, she gives a hilarious account of a wild story of being kidnapped by aliens and taken to Mars, where she supposedly bore a child with a Martian leader named Ernst.

Ish died on the last day of 2007 due to cancer that started in her esophagus and spread throughout her body. Her close friend, Rob Hoffman, penned her obituary for the Santa Barbara Independent, noting that she remained joyful and upbeat despite her late-in-life health issues. “The number of people who delighted in knowing Kay does not come as a surprise,” he wrote. “When in the presence of someone who lives and breathes authenticity and grace, it becomes impossible to not recognize and love those same qualities hidden somewhere within our own being.”