Kirstie Alley was gifted a SHOTGUN by the Cheers cast when she joined the sitcom for season six

The Cheers cast welcomed Kirstie Alley to the show with a very unusual gift.

George Wendt, 74, recalled the funny story during a panel at the Cheers reunion at the ATX TV Festival in Austin, Texas.

Wendt said he and fellow cast member John Ratzenberger, 76, were asked to get a gift for the actress – who died in December after a battle with cancer – when she joined the show in season six.

The actors played Norm Peterson and Cliff Clavin, respectively, in the long-running and beloved sitcom.

“We were having dinner right before the show and we were like, ‘Oh my gosh, we should have bought her something, right?’ And “Yeah, like flowers or something…” Wendt said. ‘So, [Ted Danson] says, “I can’t, I have to do something.” And [Rhea Perlman]”No.”‘

Memories: George Wendt (R) recalled working with John Ratzenberger (L) to find the gift during a panel at the Cheers reunion at the ATX TV Festival in Austin

So through a process of elimination, Wendt and Ratzenberger were tasked with finding a gift, and they decided to drive through a very “trendy area” on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles.

“If we go through all these places and we go past Big 5 Sporting Goods and John says, ‘Would you like to buy her a shotgun?'” Wendt said.

“And I, like you, laughed about five minutes,” he continued. “And then drove right into the parking lot, and we bought her a goddamn shotgun.”

He added, “John and I were never burdened with the gifts again.”

Ratzenberger also said Wendt took the joke one step further.

“I think you even wrote on the card, ‘You’re going to have to shoot your way out,'” he said.

Wendt and Ratzenberger recently reunited almost 30 years after the series finale to see the bar where everyone knows your name one last time.

The bar was up for auction alongside a plethora of memorabilia from iconic Dallas TV shows last month.

“It was fantastic, so great to see the bar,” Wendt told Boston’s WHDH.

Shenanigans: “We were having dinner right before the show and we were like, ‘Oh dear, we should have bought her something, right?’ And “Yeah, like flowers or something…” Wendt said. ‘So, [Ted Danson] says, “I can’t, I have to do something.” And [Rhea Perlman]”No.”‘

Everyone knows your name: so through a process of elimination, Wendt and Ratzenberger were tasked with finding a present, and they decided to drive through a very “trendy area” on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles.

Shotgun: “If we go through all these places and we go past Big 5 Sporting Goods and John says, ‘Would you like to buy her a shotgun?'” Wendt said. “And I, like you, laughed about five minutes,” he continued. “And then drove straight into the parking lot, and we bought her a damn gun”

“I get a lot of letters to this day about ‘Thanks, we had a bad time when my father died, and the only joy in his life was watching your show,'” Ratzenberger said. “So it really means a lot, so to see this, it meant a lot.”

Wendt also revealed that he keeps in touch with his fellow Cheers cast members.

“We catch each other in bits and pieces,” he said.

“It’s kind of hard,” he continued. “It’s like herding cats trying to get us all together.”