Kirstie Alley, former Hollywood sweetheart and star of the 1980s sitcom “Cheers,” recently passed away.
A statement from her family revealed the cause of death to be cancer.
“To all our friends, far and wide around the world…
“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.
“As iconic as she was on screen, she was an even more amazing mother and grandmother. We are grateful to the incredible team of doctors and nurses at the Moffitt Cancer Center for their care.
“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.
“We thank you for your love and prayers and ask that you respect our privacy at this difficult time. With love always, True and Lillie Parker.”
— Kirstie Alley (@kirstiealley) December 6, 2022
Before starring in the show “Cheers,” Alley was not known on television.
In 1987 one of the show’s creators, James Burrows, told The New York Times, “She was an unfamiliar face on television, so we wouldn’t be tilting the balance of the show by bringing in a known quantity. She had an incredible sexy voice that was perfect to drive Ted bananas.”
The fact that the show survived past her introduction was monumental as “Most hit television series live the life of a thoroughbred: Five years or so out on the track and then a long, lucrative existence in retirement at stud — which in television translates to syndication. ‘Cheers,’ which concludes its eighth year of competition this week, has in no way followed the form. Not only is the NBC comedy series out on the track every week still running, it’s picking up speed,” Bill Carter wrote in 1990.
In an interview with “Entertainment Tonight” in 2019, Ms. Alley looked back on her “Cheers” years as a somewhat chaotic time, with all kinds of misbehavior being the norm for a cast that included Mr. Danson and Woody Harrelson.
In 2019 during an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Alley looker back on her time acting on “Cheers,” saying the events were chaotic. “We never paid attention, we were always in trouble,” Alley said,“We never showed up on time.”
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