Suzanne Somers, of ‘Three’s Company,’ dies at 76
Suzanne Somers, the lively blonde actress famous for her portrayal of Chrissy Snow in the TV series “Three’s Company” and who later became a successful entrepreneur and achieved New York Times best-selling author status, has passed away at the age of 76.
“Suzanne Somers passed away peacefully at home in the early morning hours of October 15th. She survived an aggressive form of breast cancer for over 23 years,” Hay wrote in a statement shared on behalf of the actress’ family.
In 2000, she received her initial diagnosis, having previously fought against skin cancer. Sommers encountered criticism for her preference for a chemical-free and organic lifestyle as a means to confront these cancers. She spoke out against the use of chemotherapy in her writings and on platforms like “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” a stance that drew disapproval from the American Cancer Society.
Somers had breast cancer for over 23 years and died Sunday morning, her family said in a statement provided by her longtime publicist, R. Couri Hay. Her husband Alan Hamel, her son Bruce and other immediate family were with her in Palm Springs, California.
Personal life
Suzanne Somers was born in 1946 in San Bruno, California, to a father who worked as a gardener and a mother who was a medical secretary. Her early years, she would later reveal, were marked by turmoil. Her father battled alcoholism and was abusive. At the age of 19, she married Bruce Somers when she became pregnant with their son, Bruce. The marriage ended in divorce after three years, and to support herself, she ventured into modeling for the show “The Anniversary Game.” It was during this period that she crossed paths with Alan Hamel, whom she married in 1977.
Acting career
Her journey into acting began in the late 1960s, and she secured her first film credit in Steve McQueen’s “Bullitt.” However, her breakthrough moment occurred when she was cast as the blonde driving the white Thunderbird in George Lucas’s 1973 movie “American Graffiti.” In this role, her sole line involved silently mouthing the words “I love you” to Richard Dreyfuss’s character.
During her audition, Lucas simply inquired about her driving abilities. She later reflected on this moment, saying it “altered the course of her life forever.”
Somers later took the stage in a solo Broadway production titled “The Blonde in the Thunderbird,” a show centered on her life, which garnered mostly negative reviews.
She featured in numerous television series during the 1970s, such as “The Rockford Files,” “Magnum Force,” and “The Six Million Dollar Man.” Nevertheless, her most iconic role was in “Three’s Company,” which was broadcast on ABC from 1977 to 1984, although her involvement concluded in 1981.
