Kirstie Alley (1951-2022) is dead. The actress died at the age of 71. This was announced by her children in a statement on Instagram. "We are saddened to announce that our wonderful and loving mother has passed away after a battle with cancer that was only recently discovered," the statement said.

"She was surrounded by her closest family and fought with great strength, which shows her endless zest for life," said True, 30, and Lillie Parker, 28. "As iconic as she was on screen, she was an even greater mother and grandmother." Her mother's zest for life and creativity and passion "were unparalleled and inspire us to live life to the fullest, just as she did". The two also thanked the staff at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida.

The Wichita, Kansas-born actress landed her screen debut as Vulcan Lieutenant Saavik in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan in 1982. The comedy "Look who's talking!" (1989), in which Kirstie Alley played alongside John Travolta (68), was one of her greatest successes afterwards. The sequels "Look Who's Talking 2" (1990) and "Look Who's Talking Now" (1993) followed. From 1987 she also took on the leading role of Rebecca Howe in the sitcom "Cheers" and played this role until the end of the series in 1993. She received an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe for the role in 1991.

In 2005, she played a fictionalized version of herself who struggles with obesity on the sitcom Fat Actress. Her own reality TV show, Kirstie Alley's Big Life (2010), also featured her struggle with the pounds. She also published the book How To Lose Your Ass and Regain Your Life. In later years, Alley appeared in a number of TV shows, including the US "Let's Dance" counterpart "Dancing with the Stars", the UK "PBB" counterpart "Celebrity Big Brother" or the US version of "The Masked Singer".

From 1971 to 1977 the actress was married to Robert Alley in her first marriage. She entered her second marriage to actor Parker Stevenson (70), which lasted from 1983 to 1997. The two adopted two children.