Suzanne Somers dies at 76, “Three’s Company” actress

CNN
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Suzanne Somers, the actress who lit up the small screen on “Three’s Company” and one of TV’s most iconic fitness pitchwomen, has died, longtime publicist R. Khouri Hay tells CNN. This was revealed in a statement provided.

She was 76 years old.

“Suzanne Summers passed away peacefully at home early on October 15th. She survived an aggressive form of breast cancer for more than 23 years,” Hay said in a statement on behalf of the actress’ family.

The statement said Summers was “surrounded by her loving husband Alan, her son Bruce, and her immediate family.”

“Her family came together to celebrate her 77th birthday on October 16th. In return, they celebrated her extraordinary life and thanked the millions of people who loved her dearly. “We would like to thank our fans and followers,” the statement added.

In July, Summers revealed that her breast cancer had returned.

“Since I have been out of work, many people have asked to know more about my health. As you know, I had breast cancer 20 years ago, but it has come back every now and then, and now continues to fight his illness,” she wrote on Instagram. “This is not new territory for me. I know how to put on a combat uniform, and I’m a fighter.”

She was first diagnosed with the disease in 2001, she revealed in an interview with Larry King.

Summers’ multifaceted career spanned several decades, but she was best known for her role as Chrissie Snow on the hit ABC sitcom “Three’s Company,” which aired in the late ’70s and early ’80s.

She went on to write multiple books, including the bestsellers Sexy Forever, Knockout, and Ageless. She also hosted her own talk show and became a wellness entrepreneur, largely building on the success of her famous partnership with ThighMaster, which turned her into something of a fitness icon. .

Summers began acting in the early 1960s with a series of uncredited film roles. In 1973, she made her first on-screen appearance as the “blonde in a T-bird” in George Lucas’ Oscar-nominated film American Graffiti.

Throughout the early ’70s, Summers appeared in various television shows such as One Day at a Time, The Love Boat, and Starsky and Hutch before getting her break as Snow. .

Co-starring the late John Ritter and Joyce DeWitt, Summers played the cheerful typing receptionist for five seasons from 1977 to 1981. The sitcom was a huge success and catapulted Summers to stardom.

In a 2015 CNN interview, she said, “About half of the people watching TV on Tuesday nights were watching Three’s Company, so there was a collective feeling that they were on the No. 1 show in the country.” There was,” he said. She said, “I feel really lucky to have joined the company at that time.”

Summers said in a 2012 interview that she worked hard to give dimension to her bubbly blonde character.

“A long time ago, when I was on Three’s Company, I realized something. I was broke when I got the role, so I was very happy to get the role, but I kept thinking about it. I was like, oh, stupid blondes are so annoying, how can I make her likeable? I think I accomplished that. It took a while for people to realize that I was acting. I did.”

Her stint on Three’s Company ended in 1981 when Summers asked the producers for a raise to match Ritter’s salary the previous year.

“I never intended to be this person. I really loved playing Chrissy Snow on TV. I never intended to be the first unofficial feminist when I demanded equal pay,” she said. told Entrepreneur magazine in 2020, adding, “All the men, including John Ritter, were making 10 to 15 times as much as I did, so the network encouraged other women to seek equality. So that you don’t have the audacity, I’ll give you my example. I lost that great job and was so devastated at the time, but life involves veiled gifts. I was suddenly thrown out on the streets, but I continued to reinvent myself and my husband and I decided to never work for anyone again.”

After she left the sitcom, she became a popular entertainer in Las Vegas. In 1987, Summers was named Las Vegas Female Entertainer of the Year along with Frank Sinatra.

“What on earth was wrong with what happened to me at ABC? Yes, it was unfair, but life is unfair and you have to get over things and move on,” she said. Told.

Summers then starred as Sheriff Hildy Granger in the comedy TV series She’s the Sheriff from 1987 to 1989. During the 1990s, Summers appeared in various television movies and guest starred on television shows such as “Full House” and “Larry.” Sanders Show” and “The Simpsons.”

In 1991, the scripted television magic that Somers discovered on Three’s Company hit home again when she landed the role of Carol Foster Lambert on the family ABC sitcom Step by Step. She Summers appeared as Lambert on the show until 1998.

She also hosted Lifetime’s popular morning talk show of the same name, “The Suzanne Show,” where she covered emerging trends in health and wellness.

Focus on health and family

Outside of her acting career, Summers focused her energies on the wellness field. Summers, who was also active as a fitness personality in the ’90s, appeared in an infomercial for her home workout device, the “Thigh Master.”

Summers recalled in an interview years later that the concept for the infomercial was inspired by the new Manolo Blahnik shoes she was showing off to her husband at the time.

“I came out of the changing room in my underwear and said to my husband, ‘Do you like your new shoes?’ And he said, ‘You have great legs!’ And I thought, “Oh my god, this is a commercial!” That’s how he started doing commercials, if you remember,” Sommer said, adding that he then sold “10 million of her ThighMasters in no time.”

Summers has written more than 20 health books, many of which were New York Times bestsellers. In recent years, she has partnered with several natural beauty products.

Summers frequently spoke and wrote about growing old fearlessly.

In 2015, she told Palm Springs Life, “I love getting older now, because I’ve found new ways to get older. I weigh the same as I did when I was in my 20s, and this season I won Since doing ‘The Stars’, my body has gotten better.” Things have changed for the better. “Alan said it’s like he has a mistress,” Summers joked. “And I’m okay with that.”

After 50 years of marriage, Summers and Hamel remained very much in love, and they took great pride in their family.

“Other than that, my work in the health field is my biggest accomplishment,” she said.