\n\t\t\t\t\tUS actress Loni Anderson has died, best known for WKRP in Cincinnati, has died.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
US actress Loni Anderson has died, best known for WKRP in Cincinnati, has died aged 79.<\/p>\n
She died at a Los Angeles hospital following a \u201cprolonged\u201d illness.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are heartbroken to announce the passing of our dear wife, mother and grandmother,\u201d Anderson\u2019s family said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Anderson played Jennifer Marlowe on the sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati from 1978 to 1982. She received three Golden Globe nominations and two Emmy nominations for the series.<\/p>\n
In 2021, she opened up about becoming a sex symbol on the show, which chronicled the misadventures of the employees at a radio station in Ohio.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never thought I would be Loni Anderson, sex symbol. But I embrace it,\u201d she told Fox News. \u201cI think I was lucky enough to have been able to play so many different things and sex symbol was a part of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI took whatever my career threw at me. So I embrace it. And my granddaughters think it\u2019s a hoot!\u201d<\/p>\n
Following the show\u2019s success she went on to star in the 1983 race car comedy Stroker Ace. During filming, she fell in love with costar Burt Reynolds.<\/p>\n
The pair became a Hollywood power couple and tied the knot in 1988.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like Cinderella. I married Prince Charming.\u201d<\/p>\n
Their contentious relationship ended in divorce in 1994.<\/p>\n
Anderson addressed the divorce in a 1995 interview claiming Reynolds physically abused her at least a dozen times while he was allegedly under the influence of drugs. \u201cBurt always said no one would ever believe me because he was Mr. Wonderful and the world loved him,\u201d she said of the physical abuse.<\/p>\n
She also accused him of not always paying his $15,000 in child support on time.<\/p>\n
Despite their bad blood, Anderson paid her respects to her late ex-husband shortly after his death in 2018.<\/p>\n
Other credits included Nurses, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and V.I.P. She also played Tori Spelling\u2019s mother in 2006\u2019s So noTORIous.<\/p>\n
Morgan Fairchild on social media said, \u201cI am heartbroken to hear of the passing of the wonderful Loni Anderson! We did Bob Hope specials together & a Christmas movie 2 years ago. The sweetest, most gracious lady! I\u2019m just devastated to hear this. Love & condolences to Bob (who was on set every day w her) & her kids and grandkids, who she adored.\u201d<\/p>\n
Barbara Eden said, \u201cThe news just came through that my dear friend Loni Anderson has passed. Like many, I am absolutely stunned and heartbroken. Our friendship has spanned many years, and news like this is never easy to hear or accept. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhat can I say about Loni that everyone doesn\u2019t already know? She was a real talent, with razor smart wit and a glowing sense of humor\u2026 but, even more than that, she had an impeccable work ethic. <\/p>\n
\u201cEven beyond that, Loni was a darling lady and a genuinely good person \u2026 I am truly at a loss for words. My condolences to her family, her husband Bob, and her children, Deidra and Quinton. Loni, you were one in a trillion, my friend, and even a trillion more.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n