Kirstie Alley, an actress best remembered for the productions “Look Who’s Talking” and “Cheers,” has died after a brief battle with cancer, according to a statement issued by her family. She was 71 years old.
His children, True and Lillie Parker, announced his passing in a brief statement posted to Alley’s verified Twitter account on Monday. “We are saddened to inform you that our incredibly fierce and loving mother has died after a battle with recently discovered cancer,” she read in the statement.
“She was surrounded by her closest family and fought very hard, leaving us with the certainty of her never-ending joy in life and the adventures that awaited her,” the message continued. “As iconic as she was on screen, she was even more incredible as a mother and grandmother.”
“The enthusiasm and passion for life of our mother, her children, grandchildren and her many animals, not to mention her undying joy of creating, was unparalleled and has inspired us to live life to the fullest just as she did.” added.
Donovan Daughtry, Alley’s representative, also confirmed via email that the actress has died.
A two-time Emmy Award winner, Alley was born in Wichita, Kansas in 1951.
Alley’s career
After a breakout performance in 1982’s “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan,” he starred in films like 1984’s “Blind Date” and 1987’s “Summer School” opposite Mark Harmon.
That same year, Alley would follow Shelley Long to star opposite Ted Danson in the final installment of the classic television sitcom “Cheers,” which premiered in 1982. The actress first appeared in 1987, playing the tough, independent manager. from the Rebecca Howe bar, and remained on the show until its end in 1993.
After winning an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1991 for “Cheers,” and then another for Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special for 1994’s “David’s Mother,” Alley found television success again after in the late 1990s with “Veronica’s Closet,” which led to another Emmy nomination.
In addition, he starred in several memorable movies including the 1990 movies “Look Who’s Talking”, “Madhouse” and 1999 “Drop Dead Gorgeous” with Ellen Barkin.
In 2005, Alley co-wrote and starred in the Showtime sitcom “Fat Actress” before breaking into reality TV.
She appeared on “Kirstie Alley’s Big Life” in 2010, was a contestant on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” season 12 the following year, and came in second on the UK version of “Celebrity Big Brother” season 22 in 2018. In 2022, he competed on season 7 of Fox’s “The Masked Singer.”
Although he had an impressive body of work, the latter part of his career was marked by his penchant for creating controversy, especially through social media.
In a 2007 interview, Alley said that she was proud of her no-holds-barred ways.
“I’ve always felt that if someone asks me a question, they want the real answer,” Alley told Good Housekeeping. “I think there’s something about being from Kansas, too. Usually people think I’m from New York. The only similarity between New Yorkers and Midwesterners is that what you see is what you get.”
Reactions to the death of Kirstie Alley
John Travolta, who starred with Alley in “Look Who’s Talking” as well as its 1992 sequel, wrote on Instagram: “Kirstie was one of the most special relationships I’ve ever had. I love you Kirstie. I know we’ll see each other again.”
For his part, Jamie Lee Curtis paid tribute to Alley on Facebook. “Just heard the sad news that Kirstie Alley died. She was a great comedic foil on @tvscreamqueens and a beautiful mom in her real life. She helped me buy onesies for my family that year for Christmas. We agreed to disagree on a few things, but we had a mutual respect and connection. Sad news.”
Along the same lines, Josh Gad tweeted: “My heart goes out to Kirstie and her family. Already out of her for the glow of her in ‘Cheers’; or her magnetic performance in the ‘Look Who’s Talking’ franchise, her smile was always contagious, her laugh was always contagious and her charisma was always iconic. RIP”.
