James Burrows, legendary director of Cheers and Friends, dies aged 85

James Burrows, legendary director of some of America's most-loved sitcoms, has died aged 85.

Best-known as co-creator of the sitcom Cheers, Burrows directed more than 1,000 episodes of other TV comedy classics including Friends, Big Bang Theory, and Will and Grace.

Attorney Tom Hoberman confirmed Burrows' death "with great sadness" to CBS News, the BBC's US partner.

In a career spanning more than 50 years, Burrows won 11 Emmy Awards and five Directors Guild of America Awards.

In a statement shared with US outlet People, his family said: "We celebrate the extraordinary life and enduring legacy of James 'Jimmy' Burrows, who passed away peacefully today surrounded by his loving family.

"For more than five decades, Burrows was one of the most influential and beloved directors in television history. As a legendary director, mentor, and creative force, he helped shape generations of comedy and brought immeasurable joy to audiences around the world."

Born in Los Angeles in 1940, Burrows spent much of his childhood in New York.

As a young adult, he attended the graduate programme of the Yale School of Drama, where he got his first experience of directing.

After several years behind the camera, he co-created the sitcom Cheers alongside the brothers Glen and Les Charles. The show quickly became a 1980s TV hit in both the US and UK.

The Directors Guild of America, which awarded Burrows with a lifetime achievement award in television direction in 2015, described him as "an incredibly generous colleague" who shared his "wisdom, and warm humor with his fellow Guild members and all he worked with".

He was also nominated 48 times for a Primetime Emmy across his decades-long Hollywood career.

Actor Eric McCormack, who played Will in Will and Grace, shared a tribute on social media, saying Burrows left "an incredible legacy".

"The 800 lb gorilla of television comedy for fifty years, he was beloved by everyone, and has left not a mark but a footprint," he wrote.

Lisa Kudrow - best-known as Phoebe from Friends - wrote on Instagram: "Thank you Jimmy. I mean, for everything…"

Burrows directed Kudrow in Friends and played version of himself alongside the actress in the HBO comedy The Comeback.

A spokesperson for NBC, which aired many of Burrows' shows, said he was "the man behind the curtain", whose loss to the television and comedy world would be "immeasurable".