“Cheers” star Kirstie Alley has died at the age of 71 after being diagnosed with shock cancer

Kirstie Alley, the two-time Emmy winner, whose work on cheers, Look who’s talkingand Veronica’s closet She won the hearts of audiences around the world, passing away after a brief battle with cancer, her family said Monday. She was 71.

“We are saddened to announce that our incredible, wild and loving mother has passed away after a battle with cancer,” said their children True and Lillie Parker. In a statement posted to Alley’s social media accounts, they recalled their “joie de vivre and passion” and “her everlasting joy in creating.”

“She was surrounded by her closest family and fought with great vigour, leaving us with the assurance of her never-ending zest for life and all the adventures ahead,” the statement continued. “As iconic as she was on screen, she was an even more amazing mother and grandmother.”

Alley rose to fame in 1987 after debuting as Rebecca Howe in the sixth season of Cheers. Although her role – the bar’s new manager and love interest in Ted Danson’s salt-of-the-earth bartender – was meant to fill the hole left by Shelley Long’s departure, Alley was lauded for her performance, for which she won both the 1991 Golden Globe and Emmy.

She would go on to appear in 147 episodes of cheers until the show ended in 1993.

Alley also racked up a number of select film credits along the way, including 1989’s starring role of John Travolta Look who’s talking.

“Kirstie was one of the most extraordinary relationships I’ve ever had,” Travolta wrote in an Instagram post shortly after the family’s statement was released. “I love you Kirstie. I know we will meet again.”

This is a breaking story and will be updated.

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