 Bob Newhart, the deadpan accountant turned comedian who became one of the most popular TV stars of all time after striking gold with a classic comedy album, has died at the age of 94. Newhart's publicist says the actor died Thursday in Los Angeles after a series of short illnesses. Newhart, best remembered now as the star of two hit television shows of the 70s and 80s that bore his name, launched his career as a stand-up comic in the late 1950s.