Comedian Bob Newhart, the deadpan maestro of sitcoms and telephone monologues, dies at 94.

Los Angeles (AP) — Bob Newhart, the deadpan accountant-turned-comedian who rose to prominence on television after releasing a classic comedy album, died at the age of 94.

Newhart’s publicist, Jerry Digney, says the actor died Thursday in Los Angeles following a series of brief illnesses.

Newhart, best known today as the star of two famous 1970s and 1980s television sitcoms bearing his name, began his career as a stand-up comedian in the late 1950s. He rose to national prominence after his routine was recorded on vinyl in 1960 as “The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart,” which went on to win a Grammy.