Suzanne Somers, the effervescent blonde actor known for playing Chrissy Snow on the television show 性视界传媒淭hree性视界传媒檚 Company性视界传媒 and who became an entrepreneur and New York Times best-selling author, has died. She was 76.
Somers had breast cancer for over 23 years and died Sunday morning, her family said in a statement provided by her longtime publicist, R. Couri Hay. Her husband Alan Hamel, her son Bruce and other immediate family were with her in Palm Springs, California.
性视界传媒淗er family was gathered to celebrate her 77th birthday on October 16th,性视界传媒 the statement read. 性视界传媒淚nstead, they will celebrate her extraordinary life, and want to thank her millions of fans and followers who loved her dearly.性视界传媒
In July, Somers shared on Instagram that her breast cancer had returned.
性视界传媒淟ike any cancer patient, when you get that dreaded, 性视界传媒業t性视界传媒檚 back性视界传媒 you get a pit in your stomach. Then I put on my battle gear and go to war,性视界传媒 she told Entertainment Tonight at the time. 性视界传媒淭his is familiar battleground for me and I性视界传媒檓 very tough.性视界传媒
She was first diagnosed in 2000, and had previously battled skin cancer. Somers faced some backlash for her reliance on what she性视界传媒檚 described as a chemical-free and organic lifestyle to combat the cancers. She argued against the use of chemotherapy, in books and on platforms like 性视界传媒淭he Oprah Winfrey Show,性视界传媒 which drew criticism from the American Cancer Society.
Somers was born in 1946 in San Bruno, California, to a gardener father and a medical secretary mother. Her childhood, she性视界传媒檇 later say, was tumultuous. Her father was an alcoholic, and abusive. She married young, at 19, to Bruce Somers, after becoming pregnant with her son Bruce. The couple divorced three years later and she began modeling for 性视界传媒淭he Anniversary Game性视界传媒 to support herself. It was during this time that she met Hamel, who she married in 1977.
She began acting in the late 1960s, earning her first credit in the Steve McQueen film 性视界传媒淏ullitt.性视界传媒 But the spotlight really hit when she was cast as the blonde driving the white Thunderbird in George Lucas性视界传媒檚 1973 film 性视界传媒淎merican Graffiti.性视界传媒 Her only line was mouthing the words 性视界传媒淚 love you性视界传媒 to Richard Dreyfuss性视界传媒檚 character.
At her audition, Lucas just asked her if she could drive. She later said that moment 性视界传媒渃hanged her life forever.性视界传媒
Somers would later stage a one-woman Broadway show entitled 性视界传媒淭he Blonde in the Thunderbird,性视界传媒 about her life, which drew largely scathing reviews.
She appeared in many television shows in the 1970s, including 性视界传媒淭he Rockford Files,性视界传媒 性视界传媒淢agnum Force性视界传媒 and 性视界传媒淭he Six Million Dollar Man,性视界传媒 but her most famous part came with 性视界传媒淭hree性视界传媒檚 Company,性视界传媒 which aired on ABC from 1977 to 1984 性视界传媒 though her participation ended in 1981.
On 性视界传媒淭hree性视界传媒檚 Company,性视界传媒 she was the ditzy blonde opposite John Ritter and Joyce DeWitt in the roommate comedy.
性视界传媒滳reating her was actually intellectual,性视界传媒 she told CBS News in 2020. 性视界传媒淗ow do I make her likable and loveable ... dumb blondes are annoying. I gave her a moral code. I imagined it was the childhood I would性视界传媒檝e liked to have had.性视界传媒
In 1980, after four seasons, she asked for a raise from $30,000 an episode to $150,000 an episode, which would have been comparable to what Ritter was getting paid. Hamel, a former television producer, had encouraged the ask.
性视界传媒漈he show性视界传媒檚 response was, 性视界传媒榃ho do you think you are?性视界传媒櫺允咏绱綕 Somers told People in 2020. 性视界传媒淭hey said, 性视界传媒楯ohn Ritter is the star.性视界传媒櫺允咏绱綕
She was promptly phased out and soon fired; Her character was replaced by two different roommates for the remaining years the show aired. It also led to a rift with her co-stars; They didn性视界传媒檛 speak for many years. Somers did reconcile with Ritter before his death, and then with DeWitt on her online talk show.
But Somers took the break as an opportunity to pursue new avenues, including a Las Vegas act, hosting a talk show and becoming an entrepreneur. In the 1990s, she also became the spokesperson for the 性视界传媒淭highMaster.性视界传媒
The decade also saw her return to network television in the 1990s, most famously on 性视界传媒淪tep by Step,性视界传媒 which aired on ABC性视界传媒檚 youth-targeted TGIF lineup. The network also aired a biopic of her life, starring her, called 性视界传媒淜eeping Secrets.性视界传媒
Somers was also a prolific author, writing books on aging, menopause, beauty, wellness, sex and cancer.
She was in good spirits and surrounded by family before her death, even giving an interview to People Magazine about her birthday plans to be with her 性视界传媒渘earest and dearest.性视界传媒
Hamel, in the People story, said she性视界传媒檇 just returned from the Midwest where she had six weeks of intensive physical therapy.
性视界传媒滶ven after our five decades together, I still marvel at Suzanne性视界传媒檚 amazing determination and commitment,性视界传媒 Hamel said.
She told the magazine that she had asked for 性视界传媒渃opious amounts of cake.性视界传媒
性视界传媒滻 really love cake,性视界传媒 she said.
