The Tragic Life of Kelsey Grammer

Kelsey Grammer is best known for his role as Fraiser Crane on both TV shows Frasier and Cheers.

The world came to know and love Kelsey as the TV-show character Fraiser for more than two decades. He’s built his career on humor and charm, but his personal life is marred with tragedy after tragedy.

Kelsey’s early tragedies led him into depression and a short period of drug addiction. He got help and moved forward, although, with so many tragedies in one lifetime, he cannot possibly ever “get over it.”

Kelsey’s parents split when he was two years old. His mom sent him and his sister to their grandparent's house in New Jersey. Kelsey’s grandfather died of a heart attack when he was 12-year-old.

Kelsey’s Father Murdered

His father Frank, who was living in Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands, with his new wife, was murdered during a home invasion. The man set fire to Frank’s car to lure him outside the home. When Frank noticed the fire, he went outside. A man named Arthur B. Niles shot Frank twice. Frank’s wife testified in court that she had to move her dead husband’s body after Niles threatened to run him over with his vehicle.

Niles was found not guilty by reason of insanity. The court sent him to a psychiatric hospital.

Karen Grammer Murdered

In 1975, a now 20-year-old sister Kelsey lost his sister after she was kidnapped, raped, and murdered.

Karen Grammer, 18, was abducted outside the Colorado Springs, CO, restaurant where she worked by three men, including Michael Corbett and Freddie Glenn. Her dead body was later found in the woods. Her throat had been split and there was evidence of sexual assault.

Police called upon Kelsey to identify his sister’s body.

Corbett and Glenn were convicted of Grammer’s murder. Kelsey has attended the men’s parole hearings, testifying against their release. He has stated that it would “be a betrayal of my sister’s life” to allow their release.

In a letter to the parole board, Kelsey wrote, “I miss her in my bones. I was her big brother. I was supposed to protect her - I could not...It very nearly destroyed me.”

Grammer’s Half-Brothers Die in Scuba Diving Accident

In 1980, Kelsey’s two half-brothers, Billy and Stephen, died in a scuba diving accident in Saint Thomas. Billy went down to find his brother when he did not resurface after a dive. Billy died of an air embolism. Billy’s body was never recovered from the ocean.

Grammer Blames Himself

Grammer was expelled from acting classes at Julliard School where he attended on a scholarship after his sister’s death. Although Kelsey lived in another state when she died, he blamed himself.

For many years, Kelsey struggled with drug and alcohol addiction that he said was fueled by his guilt and pain over the loss of his sister.

Kelsey was arrested three times between 1988- 1991 for drunk driving and possession of cocaine. He crashed his vehicle while driving drunk in 1996 and finally checked into rehab.

Kelsey worked on Cheers and Frasier during this time. Castmates -and friends- from both shows attempted interventions with him. He later told Oprah Winfrey in an interview, “I liked it,” referring to his alcohol addiction. “I liked the way it made me feel. Maybe it was because I was running away from the feeling that weren’t, you know, as comfortable as I wanted them to be, and maybe I do have a self-destructive part of me.”

Kelsey Almost Dies

In 2008, Kelsey nearly died after suffering a heart attack while paddleboarding in Hawaii. It was at this point he re-evaluated his lifestyle choices and decided to confront his issues head-on.

Kelsey Grammer Today

Kelsey earned $1.6 million per episode for each Frasier show that aired. He is the third highest-paid actor today.

The father of 7 married flight attendant Kayte Walsh in 2011. She is 25 years his junior. The couple shares a daughter together.

He released a new movie titled The Space Between Movie in 2021. In February, Paramount Pictures announced a reboot of Frasier coming later in the year.

He also voices the character Sideshow Bob on The Simpsons.

Mentally and physically, Grammer says he's in a much better place. "If you can find a place where you can forgive yourself, then you can enjoy life very well.”