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Emmy Award Winning Actor Who Lived In Santa Barbara Dies; Appeared In "Cheers," "Murphy Brown"

An Emmy award winning actor, comedian, and disc jockey who lived in Santa Barbara for many years has died.

Jay Thomas was a DJ in Los Angeles, New York, and on Sirius radio for decades. But, he was perhaps best known for his stints on the TV sitcoms “Cheers” and “Murphy Brown.” He most recently was on Showtime’s “Ray Donovan.”

Thomas hosted one of his radio shows from his home in Santa Barbara for years. He was also active in the community, serving as one of the co-hosts of Santa Barbara’s “Unity Shoppe” telethon.

Thomas had been battling cancer. He was 69 years old.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral.