Kelsey Grammer's Ups and Downs Through the Years

Kelsey Grammer has had lasting success in the entertainment industry — his portrayal of Dr. Frasier Crane is one of the longest-running roles in TV history — but he has also faced numerous tragedies over the years. Grammer was only 13 years old when his father was shot and killed. Six years later, he faced another unimaginable loss when his younger sister, Karen, then 18, was raped and murdered. In 1980, Grammer faced two more familial deaths, losing his younger half-brothers in a scuba diving incident. Despite experiencing trauma throughout his life, Grammer has found solace in his career, which includes five Emmys, three Golden Globes and one Tony. The Cheers alum’s success on TV heated up even more with the October 2023 premiere of his long-awaited Frasier spinoff. Keep scrolling for Grammer’s highs and lows through the years:

“My dad was gunned down at his home at the age of 38,” Grammer said in a public service announcement for crime victims when, adding that he found out through the media that his father’s killer had been released from prison.

"[The assailant] lit a ring of fire around his house and as my father came down to investigate what was going on, he shot him … several times and Dad died,” the actor recalled on E!’s Celebrity Profile in 2001, per the New York Post.

In 1975, after finishing a waitressing shift in Colorado, Grammer’s sister was kidnapped and brutally raped by two strangers. One of the men stabbed her repeatedly and she died from the wounds.

“I miss her in my bones,” Grammer told his sister’s killer at his parole hearing in 2014. “I was her big brother. I was supposed to protect her. I could not — it very nearly destroyed me.”

Though Grammer accepted the convict’s apology at the hearing, he asserted, "I cannot give your release my endorsement. To give that a blessing would be a betrayal of my sister's life."

Grammer’s younger half-brothers, Stephen and Billy, died in 1980 following a scuba diving accident in St. Thomas. Stephen reportedly suffered an embolism from attempting to surface too quickly, while Billy’s body was never found. Their deaths are thought to be caused in part by a shark attack.

Grammer debuted one of his most iconic characters on Cheers — and the casting changed his life.

When Grammer’s Frasier arrived at the Boston bar during season 3 in 1984 to serve as a romantic foil to Sam Malone (Ted Danson), no one knew the actor would go on to play the lovingly pretentious psychiatrist for 20-plus years (and eight more seasons on Cheers).

He was nominated for his first two Emmys for his work on the show — and, of course, played the character so well that it spawned one of the most successful spinoffs in television history.

In a 2015 interview with Vanity Fair, Grammer got candid about his battle with substance abuse — namely, alcohol and cocaine. (He was arrested multiple times in the ‘90s on substance-related charges, including a DUI and cocaine possession.)

“I’ll speak to the straight of it,” Grammer told the outlet about his addiction issues. “That was the time when I could not forgive myself for my sister’s death.” He has been sober since 1996.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Frasier, which aired for 11 seasons between 1993 and 2004, earned Grammer three Emmys and two Golden Globes, cementing him as one of the most successful TV stars of all-time.

And it wasn’t just Grammer who saw huge success: The show made stars out of its critically praised ensemble cast as well, which included David Hyde Pierce, John Mahoney, Jane Leeves, Peri Gilpin and Dan Butler. (Pierce, for his part, earned four Emmys for his portrayal of Frasier’s even more neurotic brother, Niles.)

Grammer’s first marriage was to Doreen Alderman, with whom he shares daughter Spencer. The couple wed in 1982 and separated two years later before finalizing their divorce in 1990. The Boss alum — who welcomed daughter Greer in 1992 with then-girlfriend Barrie Buckner — later wed Leigh-Anne Csuhany. Their marriage was annulled in 1993.

Kelsey tied the knot with his third wife, Camille, in 1997. The couple, who divorced in 2011, share children Mason and Jude — and have frequently called each other out, even years after their split.

“Honestly, I don’t really talk about her very much, because so much of her life is spent talking about me and I just think it’s sort of pathetic,” Kelsey said on In Depth with Graham Bensinger in 2019, accusing the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum of having “an explosion about something” at his mother’s funeral. Camille, for her part, accused her ex of “rewriting history” via X (formerly Twitter) at the time.

Kelsey suffered a heart attack in 2008, which nearly cost him his life. He had been paddle-boarding with Camille in Hawaii at the time when he felt chest pains and was rushed to the hospital.

“They had to blast me twice and get me started all over again,” he told Entertainment Tonight. “I did think: ‘Oh gosh, I have got to hang on. I’ve got too much junk I’ve got to take care of. I’ve got to take care of the family.’”

After three failed marriages, Kelsey finally got it right with Walsh, whom he wed in 2011. Though the duo have faced their own set of hardships — including multiple miscarriages — the pair went on to have two children.

“This lovely young woman lit up my world and changed my heart, which was a bit calloused and hardened against a lot of things,” Kelsey told Vanity Fair in 2015 about his love for Walsh. “And we are good, and I feel young and alive.”

Fans of Cheers and Frasier were given a treat when Kelsey reprised his role in a second Frasier spinoff premiering in October 2023.

The new series features Frasier moving back to Boston and centers around his relationship with son Freddie. Though fan-favorite characters like Niles (Pierce), Daphne (Leeves) are not slated to appear, Frasier die-hards can look forward to a guest appearance from Frasier’s ex-wife, Lilith (Bebe Neuwirth) and his former radio producer, Roz (Gilpin).

Multiple outlets reported in June 2025 that Walsh was pregnant with her and Grammer’s fourth child, his eighth. Photos published by Daily Mail and People at the time showed a heavily pregnant Walsh and Grammer out and about in London.