Suzanne Somers, widely recognized for her iconic portrayal of Chrissy Snow on the hit TV series “Three’s Company” and her ventures in the business world, has passed away at the age of 76. Her family confirmed her passing, revealing that she had been battling breast cancer for over two decades and ultimately succumbed to the disease at her home in Palm Springs, California.
The statement provided by her long-time publicist, R. Couri Hay, conveyed the news: “Her family had gathered to celebrate her 77th birthday on October 16th, but instead, they will now commemorate her extraordinary life and express their heartfelt gratitude to her countless fans and devoted followers who cherished her deeply.”
In July, Somers courageously shared on Instagram that her breast cancer had returned, stating, “Like any cancer patient, when you get that dreaded, ‘It’s back,’ you get a pit in your stomach. Then I put on my battle gear and go to war. This is familiar battleground for me, and I’m very tough.”
Her initial diagnosis occurred in 2000, and she also battled skin cancer. Somers faced criticism for her advocacy of a chemical-free and organic lifestyle to combat cancer, publicly opposing chemotherapy in her books and on platforms such as “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” which drew controversy from the American Cancer Society.
Born in 1946 in San Bruno, California, to a gardener father and a medical secretary mother, she embarked on her acting career in the late 1960s. A defining moment in her life came when she was cast as the blonde driving the white Thunderbird in George Lucas’s 1973 film “American Graffiti,” in which her sole line was mouthing “I love you” to Richard Dreyfuss’s character during her audition. This moment marked a significant turning point in her life.
Somers later staged a one-woman Broadway show titled “The Blonde in the Thunderbird,” although it received mostly unfavorable reviews. During the 1970s, she made appearances in several television shows, including “The Rockford Files,” “Magnum Force,” and “The Six Million Dollar Man.” However, it was her role in “Three’s Company,” which aired on ABC from 1977 to 1984 (with her participation ending in 1981), that catapulted her to fame.
On “Three’s Company,” she portrayed the ditzy blonde, co-starring alongside John Ritter and Joyce DeWitt in the beloved roommate comedy. In 1980, after four seasons, she sought a salary increase from $30,000 per episode to $150,000 per episode, aligning it with what Ritter was earning. Her husband, Alan Hamel, a former television producer, had encouraged her to negotiate. However, the show’s response was dismissive, leading to her dismissal and the introduction of two different roommates to the show for its remaining years. This incident also strained her relationships with her co-stars, leading to years of estrangement. Somers did eventually reconcile with John Ritter before his passing and later with Joyce DeWitt on her online talk show.
Yet, Somers saw this as an opportunity for new endeavors. She ventured into various fields, including a Las Vegas act, authoring books, hosting a talk show, and becoming an entrepreneur. In the 1990s, she famously became the spokesperson for the “Thighmaster.” She made a return to network television in the 1990s, most notably on “Step by Step,” which aired on ABC’s youth-oriented TGIF lineup. The network also broadcasted a biopic of her life, with Somers herself in the lead role, titled “Keeping Secrets.”
