CNN
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Actress Kirstie Alley, star of the big and small screens known for her Emmy-winning role in ‘Cheers’ and films like ‘Look Who’s Talking’, has died after a brief battle with cancer, her children True and Lillie Parker on it social media.
She was 71 years old.
“We are sad to inform you that our amazing, fierce and loving mother has passed away after a recently discovered battle with cancer,” the statement read.
“She was surrounded by her closest family and fought with great strength, leaving us with the certainty of her endless zest for life and all the adventures that lay ahead,” the family statement continued. “As iconic as she was on screen, she was an even more incredible mother and grandmother.”
“Our mother’s taste and passion for life, her children, her grandchildren and her many animals, not to mention her undying joy in creating, was unparalleled and leaves us inspired to live life to the full as she did. did,” the statement read.
The sexy version of Kirstie Alley in ‘DWTS’
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– Source: HLN
Donovan Daughtry, a rep for Alley, also confirmed to CNN via email that the actress had passed away.
A two-time Primetime Emmy Award winner, Alley was born in Wichita, Kansas in 1951.
After a notable role in “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” in 1982, she had roles in films like “Blind Date” in 1984 and “Summer School” in 1987 opposite Mark Harmon.
That same year, Alley would follow Shelley Long to star opposite Ted Danson in the later part of the classic television sitcom “Cheers,” which premiered in 1982. Alley first appeared in 1987, playing the role of strong and independent bar manager Rebecca Howe, remaining on the acclaimed show until its end in 1993.
After winning Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1991 for “Cheers” and another for Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Special for “David’s Mother” in 1994, she once again found success on television in the late 90s with the series “Veronica’s Closet”. ‘, which earned him another Emmy nod.
Additionally, Alley has starred in a number of memorable movies, like the 1990s “Look Who’s Talking,” “Madhouse” and 1999’s “Drop Dead Gorgeous” with Ellen Barkin.
In 2005, Alley co-wrote and starred in the Showtime comedy “Fat Actress” before foraying into reality TV.
She appeared on “Kirstie Alley’s Big Life” in 2010, appeared on season 12 of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” the following year, and came second in season 22 of the UK version of “Celebrity Big Brother” in 2018. In 2022, she appeared on season 7 of Fox’s “The Masked Singer”.
Although she had an impressive job, the later part of her career was marked by Alley’s penchant for stirring up controversy, especially through social media.
In a 2007 interview, Alley said she was proud of her boundless ways.
“I always felt like if someone asked me something, they wanted the real answer,” Alley told Good Housekeeping. “I think there’s also something about being from Kansas. Usually people think I’m from New York. The only similarity between New Yorkers and Midwesterners is that what you see is what you get.
John Travolta, who starred with Alley in the 1989 hit ‘Look Who’s Talking’ as well as two sequels, wrote on Instagram on Monday: “Kirstie was one of the most special relationships I’ve ever had. I t love Kirstie. I know we’ll see each other again.”
Jamie Lee Curtis – who worked with Alley in 2016 on episodes of the TV show ‘Scream Queens’ – shared a statement on Facebook to pay tribute to the late actress, writing: ‘She was a great comedic foil in @tvscreamqueens and a beautiful mother bear in her very real life. She helped me buy onesies for my family that year for Christmas. We agreed to disagree on some things, but we had a mutual respect and connection. Bad news.”
Josh Gad tweeted, “My heart breaks for Kirstie and her family. Whether it was her genius in ‘Cheers; or her magnetic performance in the ‘Look Who’s Talking’ franchise, her smile was always infectious, her laugh always infectious and her still iconic charisma. RIP.”
Alley’s “Cheers” co-star Ted Danson told Deadline he had just watched Alley in an episode of the show while on a plane before learning of her death.
“I was on a plane today and did something I rarely do. I watched an old episode of ‘Cheers,'” Danson told the outlet. where Tom Berenger proposes to Kirstie, who keeps saying no, even though she desperately wants to say yes. Kirstie was really brilliant there. Her ability to play a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown was both moving and hysterically funny.
“She made me laugh 30 years ago when she shot that scene, and she made me laugh just as hard today. As I got off the plane, I learned that Kirstie had died. I am so sad and so grateful for all the times she made me laugh,” Danson added. “Sending my love to her children. As they well know, their mother had a heart of gold. I will miss her.”
Fellow “Cheers” star Rhea Perlman told CNN in a statement that she and Alley became instant friends on the set of “Cheers.”
“Kirstie was a unique and wonderful person and friend. His joy of being was boundless,” Perlman said. “We became friends almost instantly when she joined the cast of Cheers. She loved kids and my kids loved her too. We had sleepovers at her house, complete with scavenger hunts she created. She threw huge Halloween and Easter parties and invited the entire show crew and their families. She wanted everyone to feel included. She loved her children dearly. I never met anyone “one like her. I feel so grateful to have known her. I will miss her very, very much.”
“Baywatch” actor Parker Stevenson, who was married to Alley from 1983 to 1997 and is the father of her two children, also paid tribute to her on social media. In an Instagram post, confirmed to be Stevenson’s by a rep for the actor, he wrote, “Kirstie, I’m so grateful for our years together, and for the two amazingly beautiful children and now grandchildren we have. . We will miss you.”
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