Suzanne Somers, the bubbly blonde actress best known for her role as Chrissy Snow in the television series Three’s Company, died on Sunday morning at the age of 76.
The entrepreneur and New York Times bestselling author suffered from breast cancer for more than 23 years.
Her husband Alan Hamel, her son Bruce and other members of her immediate family were with her in Palm Springs, California. His family gathered on October 16 to celebrate his 77th birthday, a statement said. Instead, those close to her will celebrate her extraordinary life and thank her millions of fans who loved her dearly. In July, Somers announced on Instagram that her breast cancer had returned.
She was first diagnosed in 2000 and had previously struggled with skin cancer. The actress then faced backlash when she chose an organic, chemical-free lifestyle to heal. In books and on television she opposed the use of chemotherapy.
Suzanne Somers was born in 1946 in San Bruno, California, the daughter of a gardener and a physician’s assistant. She began acting in the late 1960s and landed her first major role in George Lucas’ American Graffiti in 1973. She appeared in numerous television shows in the 1970s, including “The Rockford Files,” “Magnum Force” and “The Six Million Dollar Man,” but her most famous role was in the situation comedy Three’s Company, which ran from 1977 to 1984 ABC was broadcast.
With information from Associated Press