'Cheers' star Kirstie Alley has died at the age of 71
Kirstie Alley, whose role as Rebecca Howe in the US sitcom Cheers propelled her to stardom in the 1980s and 1990s, has died from cancer at the age of 71 (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
Kirstie Alley, whose role as Rebecca Howe in the US sitcom Cheers propelled her to stardom in the 1980s and 1990s, has died from cancer at the age of 71.
A statement from her family, posted on social media through her official accounts, described her as an “amazing mother and grandmother”.
“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,” the statement read.
“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.”
Alley debuted on the NBC sitcom in 1987, quickly becoming a fan favourite for her role opposite Ted Danson’s womanising bar tender Sam Malone.
She played bar manager Howe until the show ended in 1993, winning both an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe for the role in 1991.
Beyond Cheers, Alley starred in various films across the two decades, including Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), Summer School (1987) Sibling Rivalry (1990), It Takes Two (1995), For Richer or Poorer (1997), and Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999).
Alley was also well-known for starring in the Look Who’s Talking series, alongside fellow Church of Scientology member John Travolta.
She won her second Emmy Award in 1994 for the television film David’s Mother and received a further Emmy nomination in 1997 for her work in the crime drama series The Last Don.
She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1995 for her contribution to motion pictures.
Alley returned to NBC in 1997 to play the title character in the sitcom Veronica’s Closet, which ran until 2000.
She also made several appearances on reality television, first as a contestant on the 12th season of Dancing with the Stars, where she finished in second place.
British audiences saw Alley in reality TV-mode on the 22nd series of UK Celebrity Big Brother in 2018, with the Kansas-born actor finishing in second place.
During her stint on Big Brother she shared the house with other famous faces including Coronation Street star Ryan Thomas and Dan Osbourne from The Only Way Is Essex, who finished in first and third place respectively.
Alley was brought up as a Methodist but became a Scientologist in 1979 after moving to Los Angeles, where she used the church’s affiliated drug treatment programme Narconon in response to her self-admitted cocaine addiction.
She was married twice – to her highschool boyfriend from 1970 to 1977 and to Baywatch actor Parker Stevenson from 1983 – and after suffering a miscarriage she adopted son William True in 1992 and daughter Lillie Price in 1995 with Stevenson.
The marriage to Stevenson ended in 1997 and Alley became a grandmother in 2016 following the birth of William’s son.
Her celluloid career began as a contestant on game show The Match Game in 1979 and ended with an appearance on the competition series The Masked Singer, in which she wore a baby mammoth costume, earlier this year.
Her Cheers co-stars Kelsey Grammer and Rhea Perlman have led tributes to the late actress, following her death.
Grammer, who played the psychiatrist Frasier Crane alongside Alley in Cheers, admitted that he had loved the actress.
“I always believed grief for a public figure is a private matter, but I will say I loved her,” the 67-year-old said in a statement provided to the PA news agency.
In a separate statement provided to PA, Perlman said she had “never met anyone remotely like” Alley, adding that she would miss her “very, very much”.
“Kirstie was a unique and wonderful person and friend. Her joy of being was boundless,” Perlman, who played head-waitress Carla Tortelli on the show, said.
John Travolta, who starred with Alley in the trilogy of Look Who’s Talking films, said his time with the actress represented “one of the most special relationships I’ve ever had”.
Sharing a picture of the pair together on Instagram, Travolta wrote: “Kirstie was one of the most special relationships I’ve ever had.
“I love you, Kirstie. I know we will see each other again.”
Jamie Lee Curtis said the pair had a “mutual respect and connection” when they worked together in more recent years on the comedy horror series Scream Queens.
“I’ve just heard the sad news that Kirstie Alley has died,” the actress wrote, sharing a picture of them together.
“She was a great comic foil in Scream Queens and a beautiful mama bear in her very real life. She helped me buy onesies for my family that year for Christmas.
“We agreed to disagree about some things but had a mutual respect and connection. Sad news.”
Horror director John Carpenter described Alley as a “delightful actress”.
“Kirstie Alley was a delightful actress I had the pleasure to work with on VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED. She will be missed,” he wrote.
Alley starred in the 1995 US science fiction-horror film alongside Christopher Reeve, Linda Kozlowski, Michael Pare and Mark Hamill.
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