(RepublicanPress.org) – Actress Suzanne Somers first rose to fame for her television role as the dingy — but lovable — Chrissy Snow on the ABC series “Three’s Company.” Based on a British situational comedy, the 30-minute weekly show centered around Snow and her two other single roommates, Jack Tripper and Janet Wood. Sadly, Somers’ publicist confirmed the beloved actress passed away at home after a lengthy battle with breast cancer.
Somers left the series after four years due to a contract dispute with network executives in 1981. She wanted pay comparable to that of male actors, namely that of Jack Ritter, who played Jack Tripper on the sitcom. After leaving the show, Somers spent a few years headlining at the then-MGM Grand (now the Horseshoe Las Vegas) as a nightclub performer in Las Vegas.
We are saddened at the loss of one of our dear DWTS family members, Suzanne Somers. She was an icon in and out of the ballroom, and our hearts go out to her loved ones. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/YVW35UnUpu
— Dancing with the Stars #DWTS (@officialdwts) October 16, 2023
In 1991, the actress returned to television full-time to play Carol Foster Lambert on the ABC sitcom “Step by Step” with Patrick Duffy for seven years, ending in 1998. She also played in a few guest appearances on network television and several made-for-TV movies.
Along the way, Somers and her second husband, Alan Hamel, promoted a new weight-loss device called the ThighMaster. She appeared as the company’s spokesperson in a series of televised infomercials. The exercise system became one of the nation’s biggest fitness fads of the 1990s. Somers also kept her name and reputation alive with a jewelry line offered through the Home Shopping Network, appearing as much as 25 hours a week at the peak of that financial endeavor.
Somers received a generous payout for her autobiography “Keeping Secrets,” published by Grand Central Pub in 1988. Two years later, she starred as herself in an ABC biopic based on the book. Somers also published several health and fitness books and tomes on growing old gracefully and beating cancer.
Somers’ publicist, R. Couri Hay, sent a short statement on behalf of the 76-year-old actress’ family, confirming that Somers passed away peacefully at home with her husband, son, and other close family members by her side. The family also thanked the Somers’ “millions of fans and followers” for loving her “dearly” over the years.
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