Suzanne Somers Dies At 76 After Breast Cancer Battle
Suzanne Somers, whose roles in Three’s Company and Step by Step were her most recognizable, has passed away.
Somers passed away on Sunday morning, according to PEOPLE. Monday would have been her 77th birthday.
“On October 15, Suzanne Somers passed away peacefully in her residence during the wee hours of the morning. In a statement released on behalf of the actress’ family, Somers’ longstanding publicist R. Couri Hay remarked, “She endured an aggressive form of breast cancer for more than 23 years.”
The statement continued, “Suzanne was surrounded by her devoted husband Alan, her son Bruce, and her immediate family.” On October 16, her family was in attendance to commemorate her 77th birthday. Instead, they will honor her extraordinary life and wish to thank her millions of devoted admirers and followers.”
She was featured in the 1973 American Graffiti film T-Bird as Blonde, which was directed by future Star Wars director George Lucas. She recalled later that she was completely unaware of Lucas’ identity and nearly left the audition to park her car.
Somers stated, “I had only three words throughout the entire film: ‘I love you.'” “I spent the entire day practicing in the mirror.”
However, the role aided Somers; four years later, she was cast in the successful sitcom Three’s Company, where she starred in one hundred episodes as a dumb blonde, which was stereotypical for the era. In 1980, however, she challenged this typecasting by requesting a fivefold increase in salary and a 10% stake in the show’s proceeds from ABC.
After the network declined, Somers excused herself from certain episodes, citing a fractured rib. After reducing her contribution to sixty seconds per episode, ABC dismissed her. Somers filed a $2 million lawsuit, claiming she was merely requesting the salaries of prominent male sitcom actors. She later starred in the critically acclaimed sitcom Step By Step.
Suzanne Somers Was Suffering From Breast Cancer
Less than three months after Hamel informed People magazine that the television icon’s breast cancer had returned, the tragic news broke.
Hamel elaborated that the “Step by Step” actress was initially diagnosed with breast cancer in her fifties, subsequent to surmounting “two hyperplasia” in her twenties and combating skin cancer in her thirty-first.
I have been afflicted with malignancy since my twenties. “I continue to bat it back each time that little f—ker pops up,” Somers revealed in July on “Entertainment Tonight.”
“I make every effort to resist the clutches of this pernicious ailment,” she continued.
My breast cancer has returned for a second time. When you hear the dreaded “It’s back,” you, like every other cancer patient, feel a knot in your stomach. I then donne my battle attire and proceed to battle. I am very strong and this battleground is very familiar to me.”
Bruce Jr., her only surviving child, was born in conjunction with her former spouse, Bruce Somers.
In addition to being a stepmother to Stephen and Leslie Hamel, whom she knew through her ex-husband, she also cared for six grandchildren with great affection.
