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Emmy-winner Kirstie Alley, known to many for her starring role in the popular Look Who’s Talking film franchise and her role as Rebecca on Cheers has died after a short fight with cancer.
According to CNN, the announcement was made by her children who wrote in a statement, “We are sad to inform you that our incredible, fierce and loving mother has passed away after a battle with cancer, 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,” the family’s statement continued. “As iconic as she was on screen, she was an even more amazing mother and grandmother.”
“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,” the statement concluded.
Alley acted on television and screen for over three decades. She starred in Cheers in the 1980s, Veronica’s Closet in the 1990s, and a spoof inspired by her own life, Fat Actress on Showtime in the 2000s. In 1989, her star rose with the aforementioned box office hit movie, Look Who’s Talking, which became a franchise.
Most recently, she appeared in Kirstie Alley’s Big Life in 2010, was a contestant on Season 12 of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars the next year, and placed second on Season 22 of the British version of Celebrity Big Brother in 2018. In 2022, she competed in Season 7 of Fox’s The Masked Singer.
Alley ran afoul of some fans on Twitter as she was a vocal supporter of former President Donald Trump. Alley regularly blocked people who did not agree with her politics.
“He gets things done quickly and he will turn the economy around quickly,” she wrote on Twitter in October 2020 in support of Trump, according to Newsweek. “There you have it folks there you have it.”
Despite her political opinions, Kirstie Alley was an iconic and charismatic television star. Her co-star Rhea Perlman wrote in a statement, “Kirstie was a unique and wonderful person and friend. Her 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, with treasure hunts that she created. She had massive Halloween and Easter parties and invited the entire crew of the show and their families. She wanted everyone to feel included. She loved her children deeply. I’ve never met anyone remotely like her. I feel so thankful to have known her. I’m going to miss her very, very much.”
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