Kirstie Alley passed away on Monday at the age of 71.
Her children True and Lillie confirmed her death in a statement posted on Alley’s Instagram. “We are sad to inform you that our incredible, fierce and loving mother has passed away after a battle with cancer, only recently discovered,” the message reads.
Alley rose to fame for her role as Rebecca Howe on the sitcomCheers, where she received an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1991. She parlayed her small screen success into a career as a movie actress, appearing in such comedic films as Look Who’s Talking, For Richer or Poorer, and Drop Dead Gorgeous. In recent years she appeared on The Goldbergs, Scream Queens, and The Masked Singer.
“Our 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,” True and Lillie’s statement reads.
Read the statement from Kirstie Alley’s children in its entirety below.
Alley was an outspoken supporter of Donald Trump prior to winning the presidential election in 2016. The actress decided to not vote for either Trump or Joe Biden four years later. Alley reflected on her regrets with being in Trump’s corner in a 2021 interview with Tucker Carlson. “People go: ‘You’re so brave.’ I go: ‘No, I think I’m stupid.’ Because honestly…it is a real blackballing situation,” she explained of the aftermath.
“You can be cooking meth and sleeping with hookers, but as long as, apparently, you didn’t vote for Trump… I feel like I’m in The Twilight Zone a bit, with the whole concept of it,” Alley added.
On Monday, her Look Who’s Talking trilogy co-star John Travolta took to social media to write, “Kirstie was one of the most special relationships I’ve ever had. I love you Kirstie. I know we will see each other again.”
