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Kirstie Alley poses for her series “Veronica’s Closet” in 1997.
NBC
LOS ANGELES — Kirstie Alley, who won an Emmy for her role on “Cheers” and starred in films including the “Look Who’s Talking” series, died Monday. She was 71.
Alley died of cancer that was only recently discovered, her children True and Lillie Parker said in a post on Twitter. Alley’s manager Donovan Daughtry confirmed the death in an email to The Associated Press.
“As iconic as she was on screen, she was an even more amazing mother and grandmother,” her children’s statement said.
She starred opposite Ted Danson as Rebecca Howe on “Cheers,” the beloved NBC sitcom about a Boston bar, from 1987 to 1993. She joined the show at the height of its popularity after the departure of original star Shelley Long.
Alley would win an Emmy for best lead actress in a comedy series for the role in 1991. She would take a second Emmy for best lead actress in a miniseries or television movie in 1993 for playing the title role in the CBS TV movie “David’s Mother.”
After “Cheers” concluded, she had her own NBC sitcom, “Veronica’s Closet,” from 1997 to 2000, on which she played the head of a New York lingerie company.
In the 1989 film “Look Who’s Talking,” which gave her a major career boost, she played the mother of a baby who’s inner thoughts were voiced by Bruce Willis. She would also appear in the sequels “Look Who’s Talking Too” and “Look Who’s Talking Now.”
John Travolta and Kirstie Alley starred in “Look Who’s Talking Too!,” the second film of three in the talking-baby franchise.
Tri-Star Pictures
John Travolta, her co-star in both films, paid her tribute in an Instagram post.
“Kirstie was one of the most special relationships I’ve ever had,” Travolta said, along with a photo of Alley. “I love you Kirstie. I know we will see each other again.”
She would play a fictionalized version of herself in the 2005 Showtime series “Fat Actress,” a show that drew comedy from her public and media treatment over her weight gain and loss.
And in recent years she appeared on several reality shows, including “Dancing With the Stars.”
Kirstie Alley (with Merritt Butrick) played a Vulcan Starfleet officer in “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.”
Paramount Pictures
A native of Wichita, Kansas, Alley attended Kansas State University before dropping out and moving to Los Angeles.
Her first television appearances were as a game show contestant, on “The Match Game” in 1979 and “Password” in 1980.
She made her film debut in 1982’s “Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan.” playing a Vulcan Starfleet officer named Saavik.