Television fans will remember Loni Anderson for her iconic role on the series WKRP in Cincinnati. She played Jennifer Marlowe, the radio station’s receptionist. Her marriages also drew attention throughout the years.
Anderson’s cause of death is on many fans’ minds now that she has died on Aug. 3 at the age of 79. On Aug. 22, TMZ revealed that Anderson’s death certificate says she died of “metastatic uterine leiomyosarcoma … a rare cancer that often starts in the uterus and can spread to other parts of the body.”
Hollywood has lost a string of beloved stars in recent weeks, including rocker Ozzy Osbourne and actor Michael Madsen.
What is known about Loni Anderson’s cause of death
What is known about her cause of death? How did Anderson die?
According to the Associated Press, Anderson had been ill for some time.
Anderson “died at a Los Angeles hospital following a ‘prolonged’ illness,” her longtime publicist, Cheryl J. Kagan, told the AP. She was just days from her 80th birthday.
The Hollywood Reporter called the illness “acute” and “prolonged” and reported that Anderson “died at noon in Los Angeles.”
According to THR, the family has requested that contributions be made in her memory to the National Lung Health Education Program and/or the American Cancer Society.
Kagan told Daily Beast: “While facing her diagnosis with determination she continued working.”
Anderson was a caregiver to her parents, both of whom were diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), according to Future of Personal Health.
“I would have thought they would have thrown those cigarettes away immediately because you don’t want to have those coughing fits,” she once said, according to that site. “And my mom would say, ‘I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe,’ and my dad said, ‘I feel like I’m drowning.’ And I would think to myself, ‘And yet, you want another cigarette.’ And that was really shocking to me.”
As a result of those deaths, Anderson “has traveled all over the country spreading the word about how to stop this illness,” the site reports.
Anderson’s family statement did not make a more detailed reference to her illness.
“We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our dear wife, mother and grandmother,” Anderson’s family said in a statement obtained by the AP.
It was her role on WKRP in Cincinnati that is her most iconic. That series ran from 1978 to 1982. Anderson’s character was known for her sex appeal.
Loni Anderson was married to Burt Reynolds & three other men
There was a great deal of hype around Anderson’s five-year marriage to actor Burt Reynolds, with whom she adopted a son named Quinton, and their subsequent divorce in the 1990s.
Anderson led a quieter life in her later years. Her final husband was named Bob Flick.
In 1964, the Minnesota-born Anderson married Bruce Hasselberg and had a daughter Deidra with him, before the marriage, her first, ended in divorce, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Before Reynolds, she was married to actor Ross Bickell from 1974 to 1981, People reported.
Her marriage to Reynolds broke down in tabloid headlines.
“I’m very happy that we were able to sell papers for a year and a half,” Reynolds told reporters in 1994, according to THR. “Why that doesn’t translate into money, I don’t know. … I’m glad America is curious about us.”
Accusations flew back and forth as the divorce grew ugly.
Anderson married Flick, a musician, in 2008, People reported. However, according to People, they had actually met in 1963, when she posed for a photo with Flick, a folk singer who had a song that hit number 2 on the charts.
Anderson is also survived by her daughter Deidra Hoffman. She was open about Hoffman’s multiple sclerosis diagnosis later in life.
In addition to Quinton Anderson Reynolds, Hoffman and Flick, Anderson is survived by her “grandchildren Megan and McKenzie; stepson Adam; and step-grandchildren Felix and Maximilian,” THR reported.
Related: Ozzy Osbourne’s Official Cause of Death Released 2 Weeks After Death
Related: Loni Anderson’s Kids: Quinton Reynolds & Deidra Hoffman Today
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