The late actress was married to Bob Alley and later to Parker Stevenson. She starred with John Travolta in 1989's 'Look Who's Talking' and two sequels.
Kirstie Alley, best known for her role in the comedy series Cheers in the 1980s and 90s, has died of cancer at 71. She starred alongside John Travolta in 1989's Look Who's Talking and two sequels. The actress' children True and Lillie Parker shared a statement on Instagram revealing that their "incredible, fierce, and loving mother has passed away after a battle with cancer, only recently discovered." They added 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. As iconic as she was on screen, she was an even more amazing mother and grandmother." Her "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 said.
The late actress was married twice in her life: first to high school sweetheart Bob Alley from 1970 to 1977 and a few years later to Parker Stevenson from 1983 to 1997. In 1992, they adopted their first child, a son named William True, and later they adopted a girl named Lillie in 1995. Stevenson paid tribute to his ex-wife in a touching post on Instagram. Sharing a picture of the two where Alley grabbed onto his button-down shirt as he smiled at the camera, he wrote, "Dear Kirstie, I am so grateful for our years together, and for the two incredibly beautiful children and now grandchildren that we have. You will be missed. With love, Parker."
Throughout her life, the late Emmy winner admitted that she had strong feelings towards her costar John Travolta all her life. It took her "years to not look at John as a romantic interest," she said, adding that he was "the greatest love of my life," to Howard Stern in 2013, according to PEOPLE. She fell for her costar in the '80s, saying on the Dan Wootton Interview podcast in 2018 that not sleeping with Travolta was "one of the hardest things I've ever done."
Kirstie Alley and John Travolta dancing in 1989’s ‘Look Who's Talking’ will forever live in my mind #RIP pic.twitter.com/ms0QSPbTZL
— 𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗬 𝗛𝗨𝗚𝗛𝗘𝗦 (@TommySledge) December 6, 2022
"[It was] the hardest decision I've ever made because I was madly in love with him — we were fun and funny together," said the Golden Globe winner. "It wasn't a sexual relationship because I'm not going to cheat on my husband. But, you know, I think there are things that are way worse than sexual relationships, than cheating on someone that way," she added. "I consider what I did even worse because I actually let myself fall in love with him and stay in love with him for a long time."
John Travolta is reflecting on his friendship with Kirstie Alley following the news of her death. 💔 Full story: https://t.co/qxBGPCzRZq pic.twitter.com/EojJbJ4PLf
— People (@people) December 6, 2022
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Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer