TV & Broadway Star Roger Rees Dies -- Famed 'Cheers' & 'Nicholas Nickleby' Actor Dead At 71

Roger Rees, best known for playing Nicholas Nickleby on Broadway and TV ... died in New York on Friday.

Rees' rep says the Tony Award winning star was at his home when he passed after a brief illness. He had been performing up until May when he left his show Broadway show "The Visit" to undergo a medical procedure.

Rees was also famous for film and TV roles -- co-starring in "Frida," "Robin Hood: Men in Tights," "The West Wing" and "Cheers."

He played Robin Colcord on "Cheers" ... a British millionaire who dated Kirstie Alley's character, Rebecca Howe.

Rees was 71.