Suzanne Somers, the effervescent blonde actor known for playing Chrissy Snow on the television show B次元官网网址淭hreeB次元官网网址檚 CompanyB次元官网网址� and who became an entrepreneur and New York Times best-selling author, has died. She was 76.

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.

B次元官网网址淗er family was gathered to celebrate her 77th birthday on October 16th,B次元官网网址� the statement read. B次元官网网址淚nstead, they will celebrate her extraordinary life, and want to thank her millions of fans and followers who loved her dearly.B次元官网网址�

In July, Somers shared on Instagram that her breast cancer had returned.

B次元官网网址淟ike any cancer patient, when you get that dreaded, B次元官网网址業tB次元官网网址檚 backB次元官网网址� you get a pit in your stomach. Then I put on my battle gear and go to war,B次元官网网址� she told Entertainment Tonight at the time. B次元官网网址淭his is familiar battleground for me and IB次元官网网址檓 very tough.B次元官网网址�

She was first diagnosed in 2000, and had previously battled skin cancer. Sommers faced some backlash for her reliance on what sheB次元官网网址檚 described as a chemical-free and organic lifestyle to combat the cancers. She argued against the use of chemotherapy, in books and on platforms like B次元官网网址淭he Oprah Winfrey Show,B次元官网网址� which drew criticism from the American Cancer Society.

Somers was born in 1946 in San Bruno, California, to a gardener father and a medical secretary mother. Her childhood, sheB次元官网网址檇 later say, was tumultuous. Her father was an alcoholic, and abusive. She married young, at 19, to Bruce Somers, after becoming pregnant with her son Bruce. The couple divorced three years later and she began modeling for B次元官网网址淭he Anniversary GameB次元官网网址� to support herself. It was during this time that she met Hamel, who she married in 1977.

She began acting in the late 1960s, earning her first credit in the Steve McQueen film B次元官网网址淏ullitt.B次元官网网址� But the spotlight really hit when she was cast as the blonde driving the white Thunderbird in George LucasB次元官网网址檚 1973 film B次元官网网址淎merican Graffiti.B次元官网网址� Her only line was mouthing the words B次元官网网址淚 love youB次元官网网址� to Richard DreyfussB次元官网网址檚 character.

At her audition, Lucas just asked her if she could drive. She later said that moment B次元官网网址渃hanged her life forever.B次元官网网址�

Somers would later stage a one-woman Broadway show entitled B次元官网网址淭he Blonde in the Thunderbird,B次元官网网址� about her life, which drew largely scathing reviews.

She appeared in many television shows in the 1970s, including B次元官网网址淭he Rockford Files,B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淢agnum ForceB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淭he Six Million Dollar Man,B次元官网网址� but her most famous part came with B次元官网网址淭hreeB次元官网网址檚 Company,B次元官网网址� which aired on ABC from 1977 to 1984 B次元官网网址� though her participation ended in 1981.

On B次元官网网址淭hreeB次元官网网址檚 Company,B次元官网网址� she was the ditzy blonde opposite John Ritter and Joyce DeWitt in the roommate comedy. In 1980, after four seasons, she asked for a raise from $30,000 an episode to $150,000 an episode, which would have been comparable to what Ritter was getting paid. Hamel, a former television producer, had encouraged the ask.

B次元官网网址淭he showB次元官网网址檚 response was, B次元官网网址榃ho do you think you are?B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� Somers told People in 2020. B次元官网网址淭hey said, B次元官网网址楯ohn Ritter is the star.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�

She was promptly phased out and soon fired; Her character was replaced by two different roommates for the remaining years the show aired. It also led to a rift with her co-stars; They didnB次元官网网址檛 speak for many years. Somers did reconcile with Ritter before his death, and then with DeWitt on her online talk show.

But Somers took the break as an opportunity to pursue new avenues, including a Las Vegas act, hosting a talk show and becoming an entrepreneur. In the 1990s, she also became the spokesperson for the B次元官网网址淭highMaster.B次元官网网址�

The decade also saw her return to network television in the 1990s, most famously on B次元官网网址淪tep by Step,B次元官网网址� which aired on ABCB次元官网网址檚 youth-targeted TGIF lineup. The network also aired a biopic of her life, starring her, called B次元官网网址淜eeping Secrets.B次元官网网址�

Somers was also a prolific author, writing books on aging, menopause, beauty, wellness, sex and cancer.