Emmy-winning American actress Kirstie Alley has passed away aged 71, her family have announced.
“We are sad to inform you that our incredible, fierce and loving mother has passed away after a short battle with cancer, only recently discovered,” reads the statement from her children. “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.”
— Kirstie Alley (@kirstiealley) December 6, 2022
Born in Wichita, Kansas in 1951, Alley began acting in the late 1970s and launched her film career with 1982’s Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Subseqent roles included 1984’s Blind Date and 1987’s Summer School , as well as the TV miniseries North & South, before Alley joined the cast of the sitcom Cheers in its sixth season as Rebecca Howe, a role that would see the actress winning her first Emmy in 1991.
Alongside Cheers, Alley also enjoyed box office success with 1989’s Look Who’s Talking alongside John Travolta and Bruce Willis. She would return for the sequels Looking Who’s Talking Too and Look Who’s Talking Now, as well as winning a second Emmy in 1994 for the TV movie David’s Mother. Later career highlights includes the NBC series Veronica’s Closet and the Showtime series Fat Actress.
