Kirstie Alley dead at 71: Cheers star died after battle with cancer

Kirstie Alley dead at 71: Cheers star’s heartbroken children announce the ‘fierce and loving’ actress has passed away after short battle with cancer

• Kirstie Alley has died following a ‘battle with cancer,’ according to her family
• ‘We are sad to inform you that our incredible, fierce and loving mother has passed away after a battle with cancer, only recently discovered,’ a tweet stated
• Alley’s children Lillie and William True Stevenson shared the news in a statement posted to their late mother’s social media pages on Monday evening
• Alley played bar manager Rebecca Howe in Cheers; she also starred alongside John Travolta in Look Who’s Talking among other roles
• In recent years she had been shunned by Hollywood after she endorsed Donald Trump in 2015 – the last year she was seen on screen in a movie 
• She received backlash from her Hollywood contemporaries, but doubled down and endorsed Trump again in 2020

Actress Kirstie Alley has died at the age of 71 following a short cancer battle.

The children of the actress, True, 30, and Lily, 28, – who was known for her roles on Cheers and in the Look Who’s Talking films – issued a statement on social media Monday confirming the sad news. 

Alley’s family said that she ‘was surrounded by her closest family and fought with great strength, leaving us with a certainty of her never-ending joy of living and whatever adventures lie ahead.’

The latest: Actress Kirstie Alley has died at the age of 71 following a short cancer battle, her family said on Monday. She was pictured in 2016 in NYC

The star’s family issued a statement on Instagram Monday in the wake of the passing 

Alley (front row, second from left) shot to fame in the sitcom Cheers. She had been a Hollywood stalwart for decades, but she had not been seen on the big screen since 2015 

In recent years she had been shunned by Hollywood after she endorsed Donald Trump in 2015 – the last year she was seen on screen in a movie

They continued: ‘As iconic as she was on screen, she was an even more amazing mother and grandmother.

‘We are grateful to the incredible team of doctors and nurses at the Moffitt Cancer Center for their care.’

Alley’s relatives said that ‘the zest and passion for life, her children, grandchildren and her many animals, not to mention her eternal joy of creating, were unparalleled and leave us inspired to live life to the fullest just as she did. 

They ended the statement in saying, ‘We thank you for your love and prayers and ask that you respect our privacy at this difficult time.’

Alley’s friend and confidante John Travolta took to Instagram Monday to pay memorial to the actress, who he worked with on the Look Who’s Talking films.

‘Kirstie was one of the most special relationships I’ve ever had. I love you Kirstie,’ said Travolta, 68. ‘I know we will see each other again.’ 

Alley’s big breakout role came in 1987 when she was cast as Rebecca Howe on the NBC hit Cheers, replacing the outgoing Shelley Long.

Alley, who became a member of the Church of Scientology in 1979, had been living semi-permanently in Clearwater, Florida after purchasing a waterfront property just a stone’s throw from the church’s global headquarters in 2000. 

In recent years her conservative political views put her at odds with most stars in woke Hollywood.  

Alley told Tucker Carlson that she was first warned to keep quiet about her interest in Donald Trump back in 2015, with a producer telling her that she would stop getting roles if she came out as a conservative. 

In 2021 Kirstie Alley spoke out about the backlash she faced for supporting Donald Trump, saying it felt like she has been living ‘in The Twilight Zone’

Kirstie Alley is at the Daytime Emmy Awards in 1994

The Cheers star claimed the unidentified producer was also a Trump fan, but chose to keep quiet for fear they’d ‘never work again’. 

Alley, however, chose to speak up. 

‘People go, “You’re so brave.” I go, “No, I think I’m stupid”. Because honestly… it is a real blackballing situation,’ she stated. 

‘It’s so strange to me because artists are free-thinkers for the most part.’ 

Alley – who had not starred in a movie since 2015 – claimed that her Hollywood peers can behave in illegal or unethical ways and still not receive the same type of ostracization that she had to deal with. 

Alley – who had not starred in a movie since 2015 – told Tucker Carlson that her Hollywood peers could behave in illegal or unethical ways and still not receive the type of ostracization that she had received

Last year, Alley – who had not starred in a movie since 2015 – questioned why her Hollywood peers can behave in illegal or unethical ways and not receive the same type of ostracization that she has

‘You can be cooking meth and sleeping with hookers but as long as you didn’t vote for Trump [you’re fine],’ she told Carlson. 

‘I feel like I’m in the ‘Twilight Zone’ a bit with the whole concept of it.’ 

‘I’m voting for Donald Trump because he’s NOT a politician,’ she wrote on Twitter. 

‘I voted for him 4 years ago for this reason and shall vote for him again for this reason.

‘He gets things done quickly and he will turn the economy around quickly. There you have it folks there you have it’.

Alley, who was a high profile follower of the Church of Scientology, quickly faced high profile backlash for her tweet in October 2020

Despite previously being a moderate liberal, Alley has also hit headlines for her other controversial opinions in recent years. 

In 2020 she claimed claiming CNN was ‘terrorizing viewers’ with its constant coronavirus coverage. 

She also blasted the Academy Awards after organizers announced that they would update diversity rules in order for films to be eligible for best picture nominations. 

‘Can you imagine telling Picasso what had to be in his … paintings,’ Alley wrote on Twitter. 

‘You people have lost your minds. Control artists, control individual thought .. OSCAR ORWELL’ she tweeted. 

The 71-year-old devout Scientologist ditched the makeup and was seen dressed comfortably in a green checkered shirt, leggings and orange flats in Florida in 2021

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