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Loni Anderson has died at the age of 79. She was best known for her iconic role as Jennifer Marlowe in the sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati. Her longtime publicist Cheryl J. Kagan confirmed that the actress passed away on Sunday at a Los Angeles hospital after a "prolonged" illness. Anderson's death comes just days before what would have been her 80th birthday on September 17.
In a statement to the Associated Press, Anderson's family said, "We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our dear wife, mother and grandmother." According to the statement, she was surrounded by loved ones at the time of her passing.
Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Anderson rose to fame in the late 1970s with her role as the intelligent and glamorous receptionist at a struggling Ohio radio station in WKRP in Cincinnati. The show ran from 1978 to 1982 and earned her two Emmy nominations and three Golden Globe nominations. Anderson famously pushed for her character to break from the typical "dumb blonde" stereotype, and instead portrayed Marlowe as the sharpest mind in the room.
Anderson's career spanned over four decades. She starred in six TV series, 19 television movies, seven feature films, and two mini-series. Notable appearances included roles in The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Nurses, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and A Night at the Roxbury. She also portrayed real-life Hollywood figures in television films such as The Jayne Mansfield Story and The Mysterious Murder of Thelma Todd.
Off-screen, Anderson's highly publicized marriage to actor Burt Reynolds captivated tabloids. The couple met in 1981 and married in 1988. During the wedding, Reynolds gave her a "seven-carat canary yellow diamond surrounded by smaller white diamonds." They adopted a son, Quinton, who Anderson once called the best decision they ever made in their relationship. They divorced in 1994.
Anderson leaves behind her husband Bob Flick, her children Deidra and Quinton, and her grandchildren. The family will hold a private service at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
