Former Cheers and West Wing Star Roger Rees has died aged 71, his spokesman has confirmed. The Tony Award-winning actor passed away at home on Friday night after a brief illness. He is survived by his husband, the playwright Rick Elice, who co-wrote Jersey Boys. In May, Rees had to pull out of his lead role in acclaimed Broadway play The Visit, a month after it opened, due to unspecified ill health. His understudy Tom Nelis stepped in for him and remains in the role. Scott Heller of the New York Times tweeted late on Friday a statement from Rees's rep, which said: 'Roger Rees, Tony Award-winning actor, passed away tonight at home, after brief illness.'Actor played English tycoon Robin Colcordin in American sitcomAlso famous as UK Ambassador Lord John Marbury in The West WingRees died nearly two months after pulling out of new Broadway play
'I was at a pretty rough school, and the only thing I was good at was art,' _ recalled during an interview with Playbill in 2013.