After a battle with cancer, Kirstie Alley, star of the iconic sitcom Cheers and dozens of films, has died. She was 71.
Her passing was announced on Instagram by her family, who wrote:
“We are sad to inform you that our incredible, fierce and loving mother has passed away after a battle with cancer, only recently discovered. Our mother’s zest and passion for life, her children, grandchildren and her many animals, not to mention her eternal joy of creating, were unparalleled and leave us inspired to live life to the fullest just as she did.”
In the long-running US comedy Cheers, Alley played Rebecca Howe, the on-off girlfriend of Boston bar owner Sam, played by Ted Danson. She appeared in 147 episodes of the show between 1987-1993, winning an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award as the ‘Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series’ in 1991.
Paying tribute, Danson told Deadline:
“I was on a plane today and did something I rarely do. I watched an old episode of Cheers. It was the episode where Tom Berenger proposes to Kirstie, who keeps saying no, even though she desperately wants to say yes. Kirstie was truly brilliant in it. 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 today just as hard. As I got off the plane, I heard that Kirstie had died. I am so sad and so grateful for all the times she made me laugh. I send my love to her children. As they well know, their mother had a heart of gold. I will miss her.”
Born in Kansas in 1951, she made her film debut in 1982 when she played the Vulcan Starfleet officer Lieutenant Saavik in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
Her other credits included the sitcom Veronica’s Closet, crime drama The Last Don, and the television film David’s Mother.
She also played Mollie Ubriacco in the Look Who’s Talking film series.
Look Who’s Talking co-star John Travolta:
“Kirstie was one of the most special relationships I’ve ever had. I love you Kirstie.”
In 2018, she took part in the final series to date of Celebrity Big Brother in the UK, finishing runner-up to former Coronation Street star Ryan Thomas. Earlier this year, she was a contestant on Fox’s The Masked Singer.
Alley practiced scientology and was an advocate of Jenny Craig’s weight-loss system. She was also outspoken on political matters, one of the few notable Hollywood personalities to speak out in support of Trump.
