Actress Suzanne Somers, best known for starring on the TV sitcoms Three’s Company and Step by Step, has died at age 76.
Somers died a day before her 77th birthday the star’s publicist has confirmed.
“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,” Somers’ longtime publicist R. Couri Hay wrote in a statement shared on behalf of the actress’ family.
“Suzanne was surrounded by her loving husband Alan, her son Bruce, and her immediate family,” the statement continued.
“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.”
Who was Suzanne Somers?
Suzanne Somers was born in 1946 in San Bruno, California, to a gardener father and a medical secretary mother.
Her childhood, she’d later say, was tumultuous. Her father was an alcoholic, and abusive. She married young, at 19, to Bruce Somers, after becoming pregnant with her son Bruce.
The couple divorced three years later and she began modeling for “The Anniversary Game” to support herself. It was during this time that she met Hamel, who she married in 1977.
She began acting in the late 1960s, earning her first credit in the Steve McQueen film “Bullitt.” But the spotlight really hit when she was cast as the blonde driving the white Thunderbird in George Lucas’s 1973 film “American Graffiti.” Her only line was mouthing the words “I love you” to Richard Dreyfuss’s character.
At her audition, Lucas just asked her if she could drive. She later said that moment “changed her life forever.”
Somers would later stage a one-woman Broadway show entitled “The Blonde in the Thunderbird,” about her life, which drew largely scathing reviews.
She appeared in many television shows in the 1970s, including “The Rockford Files,” “Magnum Force” and “The Six Million Dollar Man,” but her most famous part came with “Three’s Company,” which aired on ABC from 1977 to 1984 — though her participation ended in 1981.
On “Three’s Company,” she was the ditzy blonde opposite John Ritter and Joyce DeWitt in the roommate comedy. In 1980, after four seasons, she asked for a raise from $30,000 an episode to $150,000 an episode, which would have been comparable to what Ritter was getting paid. Hamel, a former television producer, had encouraged the ask.
“The show’s response was, ‘Who do you think you are?’” Somers told People in 2020. “They said, ‘John Ritter is the star.’”
She was promptly phased out and soon fired; Her character was replaced by two different roommates for the remaining years the show aired. It also led to a rift with her co-stars; They didn’t speak for many years. Somers did reconcile with Ritter before his death, and then with DeWitt on her online talk show.
But Somers took the break as an opportunity to pursue new avenues, including a Las Vegas act, hosting a talk show and becoming an entrepreneur. In the 1990s, she also became the spokesperson for the “ThighMaster.”
The decade also saw her return to network television in the 1990s, most famously on “Step by Step,” which aired on ABC’s youth-targeted TGIF lineup. The network also aired a biopic of her life, starring her, called “Keeping Secrets.”
Somers was also a prolific author, writing books on aging, menopause, beauty, wellness, sex and cancer.
About Suzanne Somers net worth
How much is Suzanne Somers worth?
Suzanne Somers’ net worth was estimated to be around $100 million at the time of her death.
Her net worth was accumulated through her career in acting, singing, writing, and entrepreneurship.
She was a spokeswoman for ThighMaster and had her own Lifetime talk show, The Suzanne Show.
She also authored several books, including two autobiographies, four diet books, and a book of poetry.
Suzanne Somers was a successful businesswoman and health spokesperson.
Suzanne Somers death cause
Suzanne Somers passed away on October 15th, 2023 123.
Her publicist’s statement said that she had been fighting breast cancer for decades, but the official cause of death was not released.
In a separate statement, her longtime publicist R. Couri Hay told PEOPLE that the “beautiful house” Suzanne Somers spent her final moments in was “one of her dreams.”
“There were all these plans and she was always working and dreaming and had brought her family into the business, and the grandchildren and step-children were all part of the business,” her publicist said, adding that she was “very engaged right to the end.”
According to Hay, a private family burial will take place this week, and a memorial will be held in November.
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