Kelsey Grammer, known for his iconic roles in Frasier and Cheers, has faced unimaginable tragedies in his personal life.
Despite his success on television, the 66-year-old actor has endured multiple heartbreaking losses within his family.
Grammer was raised by his mother and maternal grandparents after his parents divorced when he was just two years old.
At the age of 12, he lost his grandfather to cancer.
Years later, tragedy struck again when his two half-brothers died in a tragic scuba diving accident.
However, it was the violent deaths of his father and sister that have haunted Grammer throughout his life.
When Kelsey was only 13 years old, his father, Frank Grammer, was senselessly murdered.
In April 1968, an unknown man set fire to Frank’s car outside their family home.
As Frank confronted the stranger, he was shot twice.
His wife had to pull his body away from the car as the assailant threatened to run him over.
Frank succumbed to his gunshot wounds, leaving Kelsey devastated at such a young age.
The man responsible for the attack, Arthur B Niles, was found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity.
He spent several decades in a psychiatric ward before being released in 1994.
However, in 2003, he was once again incarcerated after making threats to kill a judge who had issued a restraining order against him.
Tragically, seven years after losing his father, Kelsey Grammer experienced another devastating loss.
His younger sister, Karen Grammer, was brutally murdered at the age of 18.
She was abducted, raped, and killed by four men, with Freddie Lee Glenn being the primary perpetrator.
Karen was abducted while sitting alone outside the cafe where she worked as a waitress.
The abductors took her to an apartment, where they subjected her to hours of rape.
Glenn then stabbed her repeatedly and left her for dead in a trailer park.
Although Karen managed to reach a nearby home for help, there was no one there to assist her, and she tragically succumbed to her injuries on the porch.
Freddie Lee Glenn was eventually found guilty of Karen’s murder, as well as two other killings during that time.
He was initially sentenced to death, but the sentence was later overturned, and he remains imprisoned to this day.
Kelsey Grammer has been vocal about ensuring that his sister’s killer stays behind bars.
In 2009, he wrote a heartfelt letter to the parole board expressing his grief and devastation.
He emphasized his role as her older brother and his inability to protect her, stating that her loss nearly destroyed him.
In 2014, Grammer successfully appealed against Glenn’s release from prison, even appearing via video link to confront his sister’s killer directly.
He expressed forgiveness but made it clear that he could not endorse Glenn’s release, as it would be a betrayal of his sister’s life.
Grammer reiterated his stance in a 2017 hearing, and Freddie Lee Glenn remains incarcerated to this day.
Despite enduring these immense personal tragedies, Kelsey Grammer shared with Page Six that he tries to maintain a positive outlook on life.
He acknowledges the challenges and pain he has faced but also recognizes the moments of joy.
While he wouldn’t trade his experiences, he admits that he would bring back loved ones if given the chance.
