“Three’s Company” star Suzanne Somers died on October 15 at the age of 76 – one day before her 77th birthday – in Palm Springs, California.
Now her husband Alan Hamel has spoken exclusively to about the final days of losing her battle with breast cancer. “We shared one last kiss,” he said, tearing up, “and it was passionate and beautiful.”
The 87-year-old actor and producer also talked about her recent road trip from Illinois to California, which took her through Utah and Nevada: “She loved seeing all of nature,” he said.
And he said he had a “vision” of his blonde bombshell wife days after her death. “I was lying in bed alone, half asleep, when I reached for her hand and saw her looking at me. “It felt like she was there,” he shared.
The TV producer then shed light on their unique Hollywood love story, how they met and fell in love on a houseboat in the 1960s. “She had an anklet with a bell on it, she fit right in,” he said of life in the Sausalito hippie community.
And he revealed what her final wish was: “She wanted me to continue her business and give organic products to her “ladies,” as she called them. She wanted her customers to have the best,” he added.
Sad farewell: Three’s Company star Suzanne Somers passed away last week at the age of 76 – one day before her 77th birthday
They had a very strong bond: her husband Alan Hamel spoke exclusively to about her final days as she lost her battle with breast cancer. Seen in 2018
Hamel admitted that the first few days without Suzanne were hard for him.
“Missing Suzanne is probably not a strong word; I don’t know what the word is. But in the last 55 years we haven’t spent even an hour apart,” he told .
“Suzanne and I were so close that she said if I wasn’t in the room she would miss me and I would miss her too – even though we were in the same house.” “We actually went to sleep holding each other’s hands , which was very special for me,” he said.
Alan also shared that he feels like their souls are connected. “Half of me is her,” he added.
He continued: “I believe in life after death – I’ve met with mediums before and they’ve told me things there’s no way they could have known.”
“There are just too many stories about people dying and coming back and it just can’t be a hoax, and it’s actually reassuring to know that one day I might be able to reconnect with Suzanne.”
As for his vision, it happened on Thursday.
Her presence is still there: And the 87-year-old actor also shared that he had a “vision” of his blonde sex wife after her death. “I was lying in bed alone, half asleep, when I reached for her hand and saw her. “It felt like she was there,” he shared. Seen in 2015
“It’s been four nights without Suzanne by my side.” “Like I said, we’ve always slept side by side and held hands, so this is a big change for me,” he said.
“On Thursday I lay on the side of the bed and stretched out my arm like I always did when I held hands with Suzanne.
“I was half asleep when I had a vision of her in bed with me and I turned around and looked straight at me – I could feel her presence, I felt she was there.” It shocked me so much , that I opened my eyes and thought maybe she could be there, but of course she wasn’t there. “I feel like she visited me in some way,” he shared.
Hamel experienced the last days of her life.
For the last two days before Suzanne’s death, she was not alert: “She just lay there and didn’t move, she couldn’t do anything for herself, so I sat next to her and told her stories and talked to her for many, many hours.” I wasn’t sure if she could hear me or not, but I had hope that she could.’
Before she passed, he gave her a kiss.
“I kissed her like I always do and she kissed me back.” After the kiss I realized it was a real kiss, which shocked me because she hadn’t reacted. And it was powerful and made me think that she was there and listened to me before she died and I’m glad I spent so much time with her,” Alan said.
Early love: The TV producer shed light on their unique Hollywood love story, how they met and fell in love on a houseboat in the 1960s. “She had an anklet with a bell on it, she fit right in,” he said of life in the hippie community of Sausalito. Seen in 1978
Alan also revealed that he and Suzanne had spoken at length about how she would pass.
“She said she didn’t want 911 called, she didn’t want to be in the hospital and she didn’t want to be on tubes – she wanted to be at home in familiar surroundings. So we agreed that her death would be pleasant and we would be with her cat Gloria,” he told .
She was in a specialty clinic in Chicago for six weeks before her death, Hamel told .
“When she left the clinic, I didn’t want to take the plane home in case the flight was canceled, so we hired a medical transport team and they came in the Mercedes Sprinter, which was huge, with beds, chairs , a small refrigerator and a television.” and two drivers so that the car would never stop without gas. So we drove from Chicago to Palm Springs, where Suzanne spent her last days.”
With John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt on Three’s Company
“It was a beautiful trip because they were able to see nature as they drove through Utah, Nevada and California,” he added.
“Suzanne and I love seeing middle America and seeing how real Americans lived.” One thing that fascinated us about this TV show called “100 Rodeos, 100 Days” is because we love seeing how these people lived together went to rodeos – it was families and cowboy hats and that was the real heart of America,” he explained.
He added that they liked the simple life, not the flashiness of fame.
“Suzanne and I didn’t like the glitzy showbiz parties of Hollywood, so we moved to the desert 47 years ago; We wanted to get our kids out of LA and raise them in an environment where we could focus – Suzanne was a great mom in that regard, she really put the kids first.
“When Suzanne and I first met, she said she would combine our two families and make it one family, and she did.
“Now I’m the beneficiary of their hard work because the children are close to us too and have been out here with me non-stop, helping me with the grief.” I don’t know if they planned it in advance or what, but they made sure I wasn’t alone and made me feel loved, and it all has to do with Suzanne’s amazing upbringing.”
He also noted that Somers battled cancer her entire adult life.
“Suzanne had a hard life; She had been battling cancer since she was 20 years old. It just never left her and I think it had to do with her childhood; She had an alcoholic father who was difficult and I don’t think that helped. “She grew up with a lot of stress.”
Every time she hit it, but not this time.
“The last time it overwhelmed them and there was no turning back,” he said.
Now Alan is traveling alone again for the first time in decades.
“Now I am alone for the first time in 55 years; I haven’t lived alone much in my life – the only time was for two weeks and I hated it. “I was very young and I just didn’t like it,” he said.
But there are constant reminders of Suzanne everywhere, he shared. “There are photos everywhere, our children, which helps.”
Their love story began 55 years ago.
How they fell in love: Their love story began 55 years ago. “I met Suzanne in San Francisco in 1968 or 1969 and we hit it off from the first moment we met over the years. The love grew deeper and deeper, we just wanted to be together, or what some people call “functional codependency” – it just worked. “To us they meant so much love,” he said in 1978
Lust, then love: “It was love at first sight, actually it was lust at first sight and then it just grew from there.” “When I met Suzanne I knew we had something very strong. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I knew it was important and to hold on to it.” Seen in 1979
“I met Suzanne in San Francisco in 1968 or 1969 and we hit it off from the first moment. Over the years our love grew deeper; “We just wanted to be together, or what some people call ‘functional codependency’ – it just worked for us, they were such great loves,” he said.
“It was love at first sight – actually it was lust at first sight and then it turned into love very quickly,” he said.
“When I met Suzanne, I knew we had something very strong. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I knew it was important and to stick with it.”
They met in a work situation.
“I met Suzanne at an audition for The Anniversary Game. “She tried to become a pricing model for the show but didn’t get the job because the director didn’t tell her which camera to look at,” he explained.
“At the time, she lived in a little house in Sausalito up in the hills and I lived on a houseboat at Gate Five and Sausalito,” he shared.
“She was perfect for Sausalito – she came to my houseboat in these funny clothes and I cooked her dinner – there was a plastic surgeon on one side of my house, a drug dealer on the other side – it was a very eclectic environment.” ‘
One of his fondest memories with his wife took place in the 1970s.
“My fondest memory of Suzanne has to be from the early 70s when I asked her to come with me on a business trip to New York City and I told her to bring some fancy clothes.”
“But the truth is that I secretly took her to Paris.
“I was so excited to surprise her with a trip that I called Air France in advance and told them to change their sign to United so she would think we were flying nationwide.” When we got on the plane, she suspected nothing. But then I gave her a book about how to have fun in Paris on $10 a day and she asked me why are you giving me this book? I told her – guess what, we’re not going to New York City, we’re going to Paris, and she was thrilled.
Moving on: And he promised to keep her company running, which was her last wish. “She wanted me to continue giving her “ladies,” as she called them, organic products. She wanted her customers to have the best,” he added. Seen in 2016
“This is my favorite memory of working with Suzanne for over 55 years because I loved making her happy and surprising her.”
He added: “Paris has become a big part of our lives.” “We went there five times in one year – we just loved it.”
But their relationship wasn’t quite perfect.
He admitted that they broke up once in the 1970s.
“Suzanne and I didn’t argue much because we thought arguments were silly, but there was a time in 1974 when we had a big argument and decided to separate – it was so bad that we even called a real estate agent to “To come to him.” “Your apartment to ask what we could get for it,” he said.
“So the realtor comes over and sits on our couch in the living room and we start talking to her and I announce that I would rather buy out Suzanne than sell the apartment.”
“Then Suzanne said, ‘Oh, you want the place all to yourself so you can bring girls here.’ I said to Suzanne, ‘Why would I want to raise girls here? “I already have a girl up here” and looked at Suzanne. Then the agent got up and left because she realized that we really weren’t going to break up.
A little-known story: But their relationship wasn’t quite perfect. He admitted that they broke up once in the 1970s. “Suzanne and I didn’t argue much because we thought arguments were silly, but there was a time in 1974 when we had a big argument and decided to separate. It was so bad that we even called a real estate agent to come see her.” “I asked if we could get a condo,” he shared. Seen in 1978
Last Wish: Alan also made it clear that he will grant her last wish: to keep her business running. “Now the plan is to keep her business alive because I promised her before she died that I would work really hard to keep her customers happy – they depended on her organic products,” she said him her ladies and wanted them to continue to get what she had made,” he said. Seen in 2017
“After that, of course, Suzanne and I got back together and decided never to be apart again.”
Alan also made it clear that he will fulfill her final wish: to keep her family business running.
“Now the plan is to keep her business alive because I promised her before she died that I would work really hard to keep her customers happy – they depended on her organic products,” she named him her “ladies” and wanted them to continue to have what she had made,” he said.
“Her company will not be closing, rather she will be expanding and we need to make an announcement next week based on her career,” he said.
“There are other plans too.” “I talked to my grandson about making a documentary,” he shared.
“Caroline Summers is the president of our company – she is our son’s wife and has been president for seven years.” She is detail-oriented and knows what she is doing. I’m more of a big picture guy. In any case, Caroline will continue to lead the company and we have great things ahead of us in the future.”