Movies & TV / News

Cheers Star Kirstie Alley Passes Away

December 5, 2022 | Posted by Jeremy Thomas
Kirstie Alley Image Credit: FOX

Kirstie Alley, who became a television icon in the 1980s for her role in Cheers, has passed away. Alley’s official Instagram account posted on Monday night to announce that the actress died after a battle of cancer. She was 71 years old.

A major star in the 1980s and 1990s with roles in Cheers and a host of films, Alley began her professional life as an interior designer after moving to Los Angeles in order to pursue Scientology. She appeared on a couple of game shows before making her film debut in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan as Saavik. Several roles in other films like Blind Date and Runaway followed, and a starring role in the ABC miniseries North and South in 1986. She reprised her role for the sequel miniseries and appeared in the 1986 TV film Prince of Bel Air and then co-starred with Mark Harmon in the 1987 comedy Summer School.

It was soon after that she found the role that would catapult her to superstardom, joining the cast of Cheers in 1987 to replace Shelley Long as the romantic lead opposite Ted Danson. Alley played Rebecca Howe, managing the bar on behalf of the company that bought it from Danson’s Sam. The show continued to rise in the ratings, and Alley stayed with it until its conclusion in 1993. She was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series five times, winning in 1991.

Alley went on to co-star in the three Look Who’s Talking films opposite John Travolta, as well as 1995’s Village of the Damned remake. She would go on to star in the NBC sitcom Veronica’s Closet from 1997 to 2000, which garnered her a Golden Globe Nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy Series.

After she began talking openly about her struggles with her weight, Alley went on to star in a one-season series Fat Actress in Showtime in which she played a fictionalized version of herself. She worked with Jenny Craig as a spokesperson and starred in the TV land sitcom Kirstie in 2013 and 2014, and appeared in the second season of Scream Queens in 2015. She also had several appearances on reality series with the unscripted series Kirstie Alley’s Big Life as well as appearancs on Dancing With the Stars, The Masked Singer, and more.

On behalf of 411, our condolences to the family, friends, and family of Alley. She will be missed.

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Kirstie Alley, Jeremy Thomas