Elf star Bob Newhart has died aged 94

Actor Bob Newhart has sadly passed away at the age of 94, his publicist has announced.

The tragic news about the passing of the respected entertainer, from Illinois, US, broke on Thursday (18 July).

He had memorable roles in the iconic Christmas film Elf, as well as a reoccurring gig on The Big Bang Theory.

Newhart's cause of death has not yet been announced, although his publicist Jerry Digney said his death comes 'after a series of short illnesses'.

Tributes have began to pour in for the beloved actor and stand-up star, with fans of his work taking to social media to pay their respects to the 94-year-old.

Bob Newhart has passed away aged 94 (Rebecca Sapp/WireImage)

One said: "Rest in Peace Legend."

Another added: "You will be greatly missed Bob Newhart. Rest in Peace."

While a third added: "One of the funniest guys who ever lived."

Newhart boasts fans in just about every age group thanks to his illustrious career and ability to captivate audiences with both humour and incredible acting skills.

He might have ended up as a star of the big screen, but it was the stand-up stage where he first started off.

The comedian had worked as an accountant as well as an advertising copywriter in Chicago before he tickled his funny bone and realised that other people thought he was amusing too.

He got introduced to the head of talent at Warner Bros Records by radio DJ Dan Sorkin, before getting signed in 1959.

From there, he started doing stand-up shows at nightclubs and went on to release an album the following year, titled The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart.

The actor is best known for his role in Elf (New Line Cinema)

Unbelievably, it was the first comedy album to hit number one on the Billboard charts and it also scooped two Grammys. Newhart then went on to star in CBS sitcoms, The Bob Newhart Show and Newhart, which earned him legions of fans.

The actor first dabbled in movies in 1970 when he starred in Catch-22, followed by a gig as the hard-pressed school principal in the comedy In & Out in 1997, before he bagged the role which we all know and love him for.

In 2003, he played the iconic character 'Papa Elf' who was parenting the unruly, eccentric human who he had raised alongside Santa's little helpers - AKA, Will Ferrell's character Buddy.

Newhart previously told CNN it was his favourite role ever, saying: "Without question, the part of Papa Elf outranks, by far, any role I may have ever played. My agent sent me the script and I fell in love with it.

"In my opinion, there has not been anything like it in the interim," he continued. "People wanted to believe in it...People need that charming, wonderful thing about the Christmas spirit and its way of powering the sleigh."

The actor, who also voiced Bernard in the Disney's The Rescuers, then joined the cast of The Big Bang Theory from 2013 to 2018, where he played Professor Proton.

The role on the CBS sitcom earned him his first Primetime Emmy Award.

Newhart married Virginia 'Ginny' Quinn in 1963, and the pair remained together until her death in 2023 at the age of 82.

The Elf star is survived by his children, Robert Jr., Timothy, Courtney and Jennifer, and 10 grandchildren.