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1951-2022: A Farewell Toast to Cheers Star Kirstie Alley
People US|December 19, 2022
THE EMMY-WINNING ACTRESS, WHO DIED OF COLON CANCER AT AGE 71, WAS A FIERCE TALENT UNAFRAID OF COURTING CONTROVERSY
- ERIC ANDERSSON
1951-2022: A Farewell Toast to Cheers Star Kirstie Alley

Even before she was an Emmy-winning sitcom star, Kirstie Alley knew how to make a well-timed comedic entrance. On her first day of work on the set of Cheers in 1987, Alley, who was by no means a household name at the time, knew she had big shoes to fill: Series star Shelley Long had departed to pursue a movie career, and Alley was brought on to the hit NBC comedy as neurotic Rebecca Howe, a new sparring partner for Boston pub owner Sam Malone, played by Ted Danson. Rather than just fill her predecessor's shoes, she put on a wig and showed up to work dressed as Long. As she explained to People that same year, "I wanted to break the ice and have a fresh start."

It's that kind of spontaneity and humor that fans, friends and family will miss. On Dec. 5 Alley died of colon cancer at age 71. Her children William True, 30, and Lillie Price, 28, whom Alley shared with her ex-husband, former Baywatch actor Parker Stevenson, 70-announced their mother's death on social media. "We are sad to inform you that our incredible, fierce and loving mother has passed away after a battle with cancer, only recently discovered," they said in the statement. "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. As iconic as she was on screen, she was an even more amazing mother and grandmother."

After the shocking announcement, the outpouring of grief from Hollywood was immediate. Loved ones including John Travolta, who starred with Alley in the Look Who's Talking comedies, remembered her as a dear friend who was one of a kind. "Kirstie," he wrote in an Instagram tribute, "was one of the most special relationships I've ever had."

This story is from the December 19, 2022 edition of People US.

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This story is from the December 19, 2022 edition of People US.

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