Kirstie Alley, ‘Cheers’ Star, Dead at 71

Cheers actress Kirstie Alley has died following a battle with cancer. On Monday, her children informed fans and family that the actress had died after facing the disease. She was 71.

“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 from True and Lillie Parker 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.”

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“As iconic as she was on screen, she was an even more amazing mother and grandmother,” her children wrote, thanking the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, where she was treated.

“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 siblings continued. “We thank you for your love and prayers and ask that you respect our privacy at this difficult time.”

Alley was a two-time Emmy Award winner, taking home the trophy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Cheers — ranked Number Eight in Rolling Stone‘s list of the Best TV Shows of All-Time — in 1991 and one for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special for her role as Sally Goodson in David’s Mother in 1994. She also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1995.

“Kirstie was one of the most special relationships I’ve ever had. I love you Kirstie,” wrote John Travolta on social media. He starred with her in 1989’s Look Who’s Talking. “I know we will see each other again.”

Jamie Lee Curtis also shared a tribute for Alley, saying it was “sad news” to hear that she had died. “She was a great comic foil in [Scream Queens] and a beautiful mama bear in her very real life,” Curtis wrote. “She helped me buy onesies for my family that year for Christmas.”

She added, “We agreed to disagree about some things but had mutual respect and connection. Sad news.”

Throughout her career, Alley appeared in television shows such as Veronica’s Closet, Fat Actress, Scream Queens, and Kirstie. She made her acting debut in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan in 1982, when she played Saavik. She also appeared in 1977’s Summer School with Mark Harmon. (Her role as Veronica in Veronica’s Closet earned her a Golden Globe nomination in 1998.)

Later in her career, she starred in the A&E reality show titled Kirstie Alley’s Big Life in 2010, competed on Dancing With the Stars in 2011 and 2015, and sang “The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s in His Kiss)” by Cher as Babby Mammoth on the Masked Singer earlier this year.

In the last several years, Alley faced some controversy for her political affiliations. During the 2016 election, she endorsed Donald Trump, and later said she was “no longer endorsing either candidate.” She then endorsed Trump once more ahead of the 2020 election.

The following year, Alley appeared on Fox News and told Tucker Carlson, “You can be cooking meth and sleeping with hookers, as long as apparently you didn’t vote for Trump. I feel like I’m in The Twilight Zone a bit, with the whole concept of it.”

In a tweet, Coyote Ugly actor John Fugelsang acknowledged that despite their political differences, Alley “always stayed friendly.”

“Kirstie Alley is a wonderful actor who was always kind to me; even when she went full-Trump she never unfollowed me here & she always stayed friendly,” he wrote. “She should’ve gotten an Oscar nomination for 1 hilarious scene as an enraged therapist in Woody Allen’s Deconstructing Harry.”

This is a developing story…

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