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More details about Kirstie Alley cancer battle are coming out.
Speaking with People following the death of the “Cheers” star this week at age 71, her rep confirmed that she had been battling colon cancer.
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Kirstie Alley Dead At 71: Kelsey Grammer, Jamie Lee Curtis And More Stars Pay Tribute
In their announcement of Alley’s death, her family had noted that she died from cancer which had “only recently discovered.”
The said, “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.”
Alley’s children, True and Lillie Parker, also praised their 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.”
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Kirstie Alley’s Ex-Husband Parker Stevenson Shares Moving Tribute Following Her Death
After news of Alley’s death broke, many former co-stars took paid tribute.
“I always believed grief for a public figure is a private matter, but I will say I loved her,” Kelsey Grammar said.
Ted Danson wrote, “I was on a plane today and did something I rarely do. I watched an old episode of ‘Cheers’. It was the episode where Tom Berenger proposes to Kirstie, who keeps saying no, even though she desperately wants to say yes. Kirstie was truly brilliant in it. Her ability to play a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown was both moving and hysterically funny. She made me laugh 30 years ago when she shot that scene, and she made me laugh today just as hard. As I got off the plane, I heard that Kirstie had died. I am so sad and so grateful for all the times she made me laugh. I send my love to her children. As they well know, their mother had a heart of gold. I will miss her.”
