Suzanne Somers, known for her roles in Three’s Company and Step by Step has died. She was 76.
Somers died on Sunday at 5 a.m., one day ahead of her 77th birthday. The news was confirmed by her publicist in a statement to ET.
“Suzanne Somers passed away peacefully at home in the early morning hours of October 15th. She survived an aggressive form of breast cancer for over 23 years,” her publicist R. Couri Hay said. “Suzanne was surrounded by her loving husband Alan, her son Bruce, and her immediate family.”
Couri shared that her family’s original plans were to be with her on her to celebrate her birthday on Monday.
“Instead, they will celebrate her extraordinary life, and want to thank her millions of fans and followers who loved her dearly. A private family burial will take place this week, with a memorial to follow next month,” he shared.
In July, Somers exclusively told ET that her breast cancer had returned. At the time, the Step by Step star said she had plans to continue to fight.
“I have been living with cancer since my 20’s. And every time that little f***** pops up, I continue to bat it back. I do my best not to let this insidious disease control me,” her statement read. “It’s a recurrence of my breast cancer. Like any cancer patient, when you get that’s dreaded, ‘It’s back’ you get a pit in your stomach. Then I put on my battle gear and go to war. This is a familiar battleground for me and I’m very tough.”
Somers credited her husband, Alan, and her children for helping her get through her decades-long battle.
“My cancer is a disease that affected my whole family and once it hit me in my 20s, Alan and I got even closer and every moment of every day was precious. We have not spent even one day apart in over 42 years. That’s the big upside of my cancer,” she said. “My son refers to our relationship as functionally co-dependent. And my incredible family has been unbelievably supportive every step of the way.”
The actress was public about her health issues. In her thirties, the Somers battled skin cancer, before fighting breast cancer in her fifties after being diagnosed in 2000.
Somers began her acting career in the 70s. In 1977 she landed her breakout role as Chrissy Snow on Three’s Company. Somers appeared on the ABC sitcom, which also starred John Ritter until 1981, when she left, following a dispute with the network.
The actress made her return to network TV in 1991 on Step by Step, where she played Carol Foster Lambert, alongside Patrick Duffy. Somers appeared on the show until 1998.
Somers’ other acting credits include She’s The Sheriff, Hollywood Wives, Serial Mom and American Graffiti.
In addition to her acting career, Somers was known as the spokesperson for the Thighmaster and wrote a series of health and wellness books. In 2015, the actress appeared on Dancing With the Stars, where she and partner Tony Dovolani, were eliminated during the fifth week.
In her personal life, Somers was married first married to Bruce Somers in 1965. Together, they welcomed their son, Bruce Somers Jr. The pair divorced in 1968.
Following this, Somers met her longtime love, Alan Hamel. The pair married in 1977.
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