On July 18, Newhart died at 94 after a series of short illnesses in his Los Angeles home.

Before his unfortunate passing, Bob Newhart humorously mentioned that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was his first choice to play him in a biopic.

In a light-hearted moment on Conan in January 2021, host Conan O’Brien reflected on Newhart’s illustrious career in Hollywood, asking who Newhart would like to see play him in a film about his life.

With his signature wit, Newhart responded, “I think The Rock. I get mistaken for him a lot. People will say ‘Hey Dwayne,’ and I’ll say ‘No, I’m not Dwayne!’ But there should be quite a fight over it.”

Catching onto the humor, O’Brien joked that The Rock could definitely portray Newhart’s “early football career,” to which Newhart smiled and added, “Brad Pitt is supposed to be very interested.”

On Thursday, July 18, Newhart’s publicist, Jerry Digney, announced through a press release that the iconic actor passed away at his Los Angeles home following a series of brief illnesses. He was 94 years old.

In November 2020, Newhart reflected on his impactful career, sharing, “I have a theory that when it’s all over … and you go up — [if] I’ve been led to believe to heaven — and there’s a God and he says, ‘What did you do?’ [And] I say, ‘I made people laugh,’ [He will say,] ‘Yeah, get in that real short line over there.’”

Comedy had indeed given him a remarkable life. He once said, “When I first started out in stand-up, I just remember the sound of laughter. It’s one of the great sounds of the world.”

His passing followed the death of his beloved wife, Ginnie, in April 2023. At that time, Newhart’s publicist confirmed that she passed away after a prolonged illness.

Bob Newhart leaves behind a legacy through his four children: sons Robert and Timothy, and daughters Jennifer and Courtney. He is also survived by ten grandchildren.