Suzanne Somers is dead at 76, according to her longtime publicist, R. Couri Hay.
Somers, the “Three’s Company” actor, died in her home surrounded by her family early Sunday, the eve of her 77th birthday.
“Her family was gathered to celebrate her 77th birthday on October 16th. Instead, they will celebrate her extraordinary life, and want to thank her millions of fans and followers who loved her dearly,” Hay said in a statement on behalf of Somers’ family.
It wasn’t immediately clear how Somers died. Hay said she “survived an aggressive form of breast cancer for over 23 years.”
Somers will be buried in a private ceremony this week in Palm Springs, a source familiar with the matter said. A memorial will follow next month, Hay said.
Her family was flying in to celebrate her birthday and discussed what type of cake and food to get her, the source said, adding that now, “everyone is shocked and facing this terrible reality that she’s gone.”
In July, Somers shared on Instagram that her breast cancer had returned.
She told “Entertainment Tonight” at the time: “Like any cancer patient, when you get that dreaded ‘it’s back,’ you get a pit in your stomach. Then I put on my battle gear and go to war. This is familiar battleground for me, and I’m very tough.”
“She had used alternative medicines over the years to fight the cancer but this time around she was under the care of a traditional doctor and was undergoing treatment,” the source familiar said.
She was first diagnosed in 2000, and she also had skin cancer. She faced some criticism for her reliance on what she described as a chemical-free and organic lifestyle to combat the cancers.
Somers appeared in many television shows in the 1970s, including “The Rockford Files” and “The Six Million Dollar Man,” but her most famous part came with “Three’s Company,” which aired on ABC from 1977 to 1984. She also played the mom in the long-running kids sitcom “Step by Step.”
Source: NBC News
