Cheers Kirstie Alley, a widely admired actress who stole the limelight, and rose to popularity featuring in the most watched comedy Cheers in the 1980s and 90s, passed away. The 71 year old Kirstie was suffering from cancer, according to a family statement. Alley won an Emmy award and a Golden Globe for her role as bar manager Rebecca Howe on the popular TV series.
The Kansas-born actor also played prominent role in the Look Who’s Talking film franchise and the TV sitcom Veronica’s Closet. Her former castmates Ted Danson and John Travolta led the tributes, noting her warm heart and wicked humour.
“We are sad to inform you that our incredible, fierce and loving mother has passed away,” Kirstie Alley’s children wrote, in a statement that did not specify what cancer she had, but said it was “only recently discovered”.
“As iconic as she was on screen, she was an even more amazing mother and grandmother,” they continued, saying she had been surrounded by her family when she died.
Kirstie Alley had zest and passion for life – Her Children recalls
They also praised her “zest and passion for life, her children, grandchildren and her many animals, not to mention her eternal joy of creating”.
Kirstie 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.
In Cheers, the beloved NBC sitcom set in a Boston bar, Rebecca Howe – bar manager and cocktail waitress – soon became a fans; favourite, fending off advances from Danson’s womanising bar owner Sam Malone.
First appearing as a strong independent woman, the character repeatedly had failed romances, often with rich men, becoming more insecure and frustrated as a result.
Kristie Alley appeared in 147 episodes after joining the show at the height of its popularity in 1987 and continued to appear until its end in 1993.
She made millions laugh over her enriching career – Cheers Kirstie Alley
In a statement to Deadline, Danson said: “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,” he added, referring to having caught an old episode of Kirstie Alley‘s Cheers on a flight this week.
“As I got off the plane, I heard that Kirstie Alley had died,” he went on. “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.”
Following the news that actor Kirstie Alley died of colon cancer at age 71, several doctors and cancer specialists urged people to get the recommended screenings for the disease.
Alley’s manager confirmed to NBC News on Tuesday that the actor died of colon cancer. Alley’s family said in a statement on Monday night that the cancer had only recently been 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 statement said.
Colorectal cancer is the fourth-most common form of cancer in the U.S. and the second-most deadly behind lung cancer. The National Cancer Institute estimates that around 151,000 cases of colorectal cancer will be diagnosed this year.
Colon cancer can be difficult to diagnose, however, since symptoms can resemble those of other conditions like hemorrhoids or irritable bowel syndrome.
“Unfortunately, colon cancer doesn’t have a lot of symptoms until it’s advanced, which is why screening is so important,” said Dr. Paula Denoya, director of the Colorectal Surgery Residency Program at Stony Brook Medicine.