Suzanne Somers, the TV icon who starred in Three’s Company and Step by Step, passed away on Sunday morning (October 15th) at age 76. The actress died after a long battle with breast cancer.
Her longtime publicist, R. Couri Hay, shared the following statement on behalf of Somers’ family: “Suzanne Somers passed away peacefully at home in the early morning hours of October 15th. She survived an aggressive form of breast cancer for over 23 years.”
The statement continued, “Suzanne was surrounded by her loving husband Alan, her son Bruce, and her immediate family. Her family was gathered to celebrate her 77th birthday on October 16th. Instead, they will celebrate her extraordinary life, and want to thank her millions of fans and followers who loved her dearly.”
Somers herself shared a health update in July via Instagram, writing, “Since I have been taking time off from work, many of you have asked for more details about my health. As you know, I had breast cancer two decades ago, and every now and then it pops up again, and I continue to bat it down. I have used the best alternative and conventional treatments to combat it. This is not new territory for me.”
The actress is best known for her 1977-1980 role Chrissy Snow on the sitcom Three’s Company, starring opposite John Ritter and Joyce DeWitt. Later, she would star with Patrick Duffy on the 1990s sitcom Step by Step.
Somers was also well known as the spokesperson for the exercise product Thighmaster, starring in several infomercials in the 1990s. In recent years, she sold her own line of beauty and wellness products.