Loni Anderson, the glamorous TV icon who lit up screens as Jennifer Marlowe on WKRP in Cincinnati, has died. She was 79.
The actress passed away in Los Angeles following a “prolonged” illness, her longtime publicist confirmed. Anderson would have turned 80 on Aug. 5.
“We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our dear wife, mother and grandmother,” her family shared in a statement to the Associated Press.
Country’s Favorite Radio Secretary
Anderson may not have been a country artist, but she earned a place in the hearts of country fans as the brains and beauty behind the front desk at fictional WKRP.
The cult-favorite CBS sitcom followed the chaotic staff of a struggling radio station in Ohio, and ran for four seasons from 1978 to 1982.
Anderson’s performance as the smart, stylish, and sharp-tongued Jennifer Marlowe earned her three Golden Globe nominations and two Emmys.
In a 2021 interview with Fox News, she reflected on her iconic status.
“I never thought I would be Loni Anderson, sex symbol. But I embrace it,” she said. “And my granddaughters think it’s a hoot!”
Her Real-Life Hollywood Romance
In 1983, Anderson starred in the race car comedy Stroker Ace, where she met Hollywood legend Burt Reynolds.
The pair quickly became one of the most talked-about couples of the era, tying the knot in a secret ceremony at Reynolds’ Florida ranch in 1988.
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Their whirlwind romance ended in a highly publicized divorce in 1994.
Anderson later made memorable appearances on hit shows like Nurses, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, V.I.P., and So noTORIous, where she played Tori Spelling’s mom.
Family and Final Years
The St. Paul, Minn., native was married four times. She wed Bruce Hasselberg in 1964, and they shared a daughter, Deidra.
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After divorces from actor Ross Bickell and Reynolds, she married musician Bob Flick in 2008.
Her husband and two children survive Anderson.
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Gallery Credit: Sterling Whitaker
