Kirstie Alley: Cheers actress dies of cancer at 71

[Englishboy]

Kirstie Alley: Emmy-winning Cheers actress dies of cancer at 71

Tributes have been paid to the late TV and film star by her castmates Ted Danson and John Travolta.

www.bbc.co.uk

Actress Kirstie Alley, best known for her role in the comedy series Cheers in the 1980s and 90s, has died of cancer at 71, according to a family statement.

"We are sad to inform you that our incredible, fierce and loving mother has passed away," her children wrote.

Alley won an Emmy award and a Golden Globe for her role as a pub manager and waitress on the popular TV series.

The Kansas-born star also appeared in the Look Who's Talking film series and the TV sitcom Veronica's Closet.

The family statement did not specify what cancer she had, but said it was "only recently discovered".

"She was surrounded by her closest family and fought with great strength, leaving us with a certainty of her never-ending joy of living and whatever adventures lie ahead," it continued.

"As iconic as she was on screen, she was an even more amazing mother and grandmother."

They also praised her "zest and passion for life, her children, grandchildren and her many animals, not to mention her eternal joy of creating".

 

[Karin Schill]

Sad news. I enjoyed her portrayal in North & South and also loved the Look Who's Talking movies when I was a kid/teenager.

My condolances to her family, friends and co-stars.

 

[Julia's Gun]

I loved her comic timing on Cheers. How sad to hear this news, she wasn't that old.

I remember her being on Celebrity Big Brother UK some years back and wondered what had happened to her career. She was really big in the 1990s.

On Cheers, it took a while for me to like her after Shelley Long left the series, but Diana's character had run its course, and Rebecca brought a whole new dynamic to the show.

This is one of my favourite classic scenes of hers, R.I.P. Kirstie:

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

How very sad, she was a lovely actor.

May she Rest In Peace.

 

[Angela Channing]

I was so sad to hear this news. I loved her on Cheers and although not a universally held opinion, I preferred the Rebecca years of the show to those of the previous Diane Chambers years. Kirstie was also one of the great Celebrity Big Brother housemates. A sad loss.

 

[ClassyCo]

I saw this yesterday and I swiped over to the internet to make sure it was true. I always liked Kirstie Alley. She was good as Rebecca on CHEERS and she played a fictional Marilyn Monroe's foster parent in the 2001 version of BLONDE.

 

[Willie Oleson]

She seemed very nice and no-nonsense in CBB.
I think someone asked her about scientology but she wisely evaded the question. Speaking of which, I wonder what a scientology funeral looks like.
I liked Kirstie's unique voice and it's a shame she hasn't done more drama after North & South.

 

[Payton Cross]

Today I just heard about Kirstie Alley's passing on tv, this is very sad news to hear.
I really enjoyed Kirsty in "North & South" mini series, "Cheers" and the "Look Who's Talking" movies.

You will be missed.


Kirsty Alley


​

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

Kirstie also played the original Lt. Saavik in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

Starfleet Command wishes to honour her service to the United Federation of Planets.

Rest In Peace.

 

[Barbara Fan]

So sorry to hear this news

I was team Rebecca on Cheers and couldnt really warm to Shelley Longs Diane so was delighted when she partnered up with Sam Malone and thought she was great with Ted Danson and Co

71 seems so young now

RIP Kirstie Alley

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

One of the first places I saw her after THE WRATH OF KAHN (1982) was in the 1984 TV-movie called A BUNNY'S TALE, based on Gloria Steinem's 1963, "I Was A Playboy Bunny" article about working undercover as a Hugh Hefner hostess in one of his clubs. Steinem predicted Alley would "be a big star," in a nod to the innate nobleness of being female, even though the movie was cutesy and insultingly awful, demeaning the thoughtful source material utterly. But I guess Ms. Steinem was sufficiently compensated.

After Shelley Long left CHEERS in 1987, I watched less and less; Kirstie Alley was initially a weak replacement, but she relaxed and improved as the remaining six years went on.

But she seemed likeable enough. Even though she dated that Parker Stevenson guy. And she was a Scientologist.

I thought FAT ACTRESS was a clever concept for a show, but I never really saw much of it.

 

[Daniel Avery]

When she first hit Los Angeles to become an actress, she actually appeared as a contestant on two episodes of Match Game. Back then, agents would book their talent on game shows in an effort to give them some exposure. I recall she spent the whole time there with a sour look on her face as if to say These people are freakin' nuts.

I think producers were reluctant to audition her in the post-Cheers era because they thought she was a loose cannon, which....well, she did little to show them they were wrong. She'd gotten enough success and gotten enough acclaim for her talent that she could adopt a DGAF attitude. She could go after roles without having to kiss anyone's butt, and a lot of producers hate those kinds of people because they need their butts (and/or other parts) kissed on a regular basis. I'm sure there were some who avoided her because of Co$, but again, she didn't care what people thought about that, either. I like to see people living on their own terms that way rather than selling out--which, let's face it, is a way of life in Hollywood.

 

[Chris2]

She also played on Password Plus - and Lucille Ball was one of her celebrity partners.

 

[darkshadows38]

i've loved her since i was a kid and it's a shame she died so young and it's also a damn shame belonged in a Cult as well