Kirstie Alley, star of Cheers and films including Look Who’s Talking, dies at 71

CNN
–

Actress Kirstie Alley, a star of the big and small screens best known for her Emmy-winning role on “Cheers” and films like “Look Who’s Talking,” has died after a brief battle with cancer, as her children True and Lillie Parker announced. Social media.

She was 71 years old.

“We are saddened to inform you that our amazing, fierce and loving mother has passed away following a battle with cancer, only recently discovered,” the statement read.

The family statement continued, “She was surrounded by her closest family and fought with great strength, making us confident of her endless joy in living and of any adventures awaiting us.” “As iconic as she was on screen, she was an even more amazing mother and grandmother.”

“Our mother’s enthusiasm and passion for life, her many children, grandchildren, and animals, not to mention her eternal joy in creating, were unparalleled and leave us inspired to live life to the fullest as she did,” the statement read.

Kirstie Alley’s thriller takes place on ‘DWTS’

02:14

Source: HLN

Donovan Daughtry, Alley’s representative, also confirmed to CNN via email that the actress has passed away.

Alley, a two-time Primetime Emmy Award winner, was born in Wichita, Kansas in 1951.

After a prominent role in 1982’s Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, she had roles in films like 1984’s Blind Date and 1987’s Summer School opposite Mark Harmon.

That same year, Alley would follow Shelley Long to play the lead opposite Ted Danson in the final installment of the classic sitcom Cheers, which premiered in 1982. Alley made her debut in 1987, playing tough, independent bar manager Rebecca Howe and remained an acclaimed show until it ended in 1993.

After winning an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1991 for “Cheers” and another for Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special for 1994’s David’s Mother, she again achieved television success in the late 1990s with “Veronica’s Closet,” which earned her another Emmy nod. .

In addition, Alley has starred in a number of memorable movies, such as the 1990’s “Look Who’s Talking,” the 1990’s “Madhouse,” and 1999’s “Drop Dead Gorgeous” with Ellen Barkin.

In 2005, Alley co-wrote and starred in the Showtime comedy ‘Fat Actress’ before venturing into reality television.

She appeared on ‘Kirstie Alley’s Big Life’ in 2010, was a contestant on season 12 of ABC’s ‘Dancing with the Stars’ the following year and finished runner-up in season 22 of the British version of ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ in 2018. In 2022, she participated in the seventh season of Fox’s The Masked Singer.

Although she had an impressive body of work, the latter part of her career was marked by Alley’s penchant for controversy, Especially through social media.

In a 2007 interview, Alley said she was proud of her no strings attached ways.

“I always felt that if someone asked me something, they wanted the real answer,” Alley told Good Housekeeping. “I think there’s also something about being from Kansas. People usually think I’m from New York. The only similarity between New Yorkers and the Midwest is that what you see is what you get.”

John Travolta, who starred with Alley on the 1989 hit “Look Who’s Talking” as well as its two sequels, wrote in Instagram On Monday, “Kirstie was one of the most special relationships I’ve ever been in. I love you, Kirstie. I know we’ll see each other again.”

Jamie Lee Curtis — who worked with Alley in 2016 episodes of “Scream Queens” — shared a statement on Facebook paying tribute to the late actress, writing, “She was a great comedian at @tvscreamqueens and a sweet bear in her very real life. She helped me buy onesies for my family That Christmas. We agreed to disagree about some things but we had mutual respect and connection. Sad news.”

Josh Gad tweeted, “My heart goes out to Kirsty and her family. Whether it was her brilliance in ‘Cheers’; or her engaging performance in the ‘Look Who’s Talking’ franchise, her smile was always infectious, her laugh was always infectious and her charisma was always iconic. RIP.”

said Ted Danson, Alley’s “Cheers” co-star. Limit He had just watched Alley on 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. “It was the episode where Tom Berenger proposes to Kirsty, who keeps saying no, even though she wants so badly to say yes. Kirsty was really cool with that. Her ability to play a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown was touching and hysterically funny.”

“You made me laugh 30 years ago when you filmed that scene, and you make me laugh just as much today. When I got off the plane, I heard Kirsty had died. I’m so sad and so grateful for all the times you made me laugh,” added Danson. “Sending my love to her children. As they know all too well, their mother had a heart of gold. I will miss her.”

Another “Cheers” star, Rhea Perlman, told CNN in a statement that she and Alley became instant friends on the set of “Cheers.”

“Kirsty was such a unique and wonderful person and friend. Her joy in being there was boundless,” Pearlman said. “We became friends almost immediately when she joined Cheers. She loved the kids and my kids loved her too. We had a sleepover at her house, while searching for the treasures she had created. She throws huge parties for Halloween and Easter and invites the entire show crew and their families. She wanted everyone to feel included. She loved her children deeply. I’ve never met anyone like her. I feel so grateful to have known her. I will miss her very much.”

“Baywatch” actor Parker Stephenson, 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, Stevenson was confirmed by a rep for the actor, he Wrote: “Kirstie, I am so grateful for our years together, our two incredibly beautiful children and now our grandchildren. We will miss you.”