Suzanne Somers Dead at 76: Kathy Griffin, Joyce DeWitt, Andy Cohen and More Pay Tribute
Suzanne Somers, known for her roles in Three’s Company and Step by Step, died on Sunday at age 76. In the wake of her death, many of the actress’ famous friends and fans paid tribute and expressed their heartache over the loss.
Somers died on Sunday at 5 a.m., one day ahead of her 77th birthday. The news was confirmed by her publicist and longtime friend in a statement to ET.
“Suzanne Somers passed away peacefully at home in the early morning hours of October 15th. She survived an aggressive form of breast cancer for over 23 years,” R. Couri Hay said. “Suzanne was surrounded by her loving husband Alan, her son Bruce, and her immediate family.”
Comedian Kathy Griffin posted a message on Threads on Sunday, and shared, “I am shocked and saddened. Suzanne was a real pal and ‘connector’. She loved connecting people with one another.”
“Also a real pioneer regarding equal pay for actresses in situation comedies where the man got substantially more salary than the woman,” she added.
Somers’ longtime Three’s Company co-star Joyce DeWitt — who famously portrayed Janet Wood opposite Somers’ Chrissy Snow — addressed the actress’ death in a statement to ET.
“My heart goes out to Suzanne’s family. They are a very close family — deeply connected and caring one to the other. I can only imagine how difficult this time is for all of them,” DeWitt said. “I’m sure Suzanne was greeted by Angels into the loving wisdom waiting for all of us on the other side, and I hope that will assist her family’s hearts in healing as they travel through this difficult time.”
Khloe Kardashian shared words of love in a tribute post on her Instagram story, writing, “This one hurts my heart. I love you @suzannesomers. I’ll never forget your positive loving outlook on life. Your sweet heart and gentle spirit! Rest, dance, smile in paradise.”
Andy Cohen, meanwhile, shared a snapshot of one of Somers’ appearances on his show, Watch What Happens Live, and captioned the post with a string of heart emojis.
Former Dancing With the Stars pro Tony Dovolani shared his thoughts, posting a photo of himself and Somers during their time partnered together during season 20 back in 2015.
“Rip @suzannesomers what an honor getting to know you #danceinheaven beautiful human being so saddened by this news,” Dovolani wrote.
Comedian Margaret Cho paid tribute in a statement to ET, sharing, “Suzanne Somers was an icon of beauty and female power and her light will shine forever.”
Radio host and comedian Adam Carolla also took to Twitter to express that he was “Devastated to hear about the passing of Suzanne Somers.”
“A true icon and overall amazing human being,” he wrote. “You will be greatly missed, my friend.”
Lucie Arnaz — daughter of TV legends Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz — paid tribute in a statement to ET, sharing, “She was generous and hilarious and did much good to heal us all. I admired her greatly.”
Chesapeake Shores actress Megan Ory also shared her memories of Somers in a post on Instagram, writing, “Sad to hear about the passing of #susansommers The first acting job I ever did was with her #thedarklings. I remember thinking she was so glamorous and fun and gracious to me, when I was just a kid-What a lovely legend.”
Here are more heartfelt tributes that have been shared remembering the beloved actress:
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In July, Somers exclusively told ET that her breast cancer had returned. At the time, the Step by Step star said she had plans to continue to fight.
“I have been living with cancer since my 20’s. And every time that little f**ker pops up, I continue to bat it back. I do my best not to let this insidious disease control me,” her statement read. “It’s a recurrence of my breast cancer. Like any cancer patient, when you get that’s dreaded, ‘It’s back’ you get a pit in your stomach. Then I put on my battle gear and go to war. This is a familiar battleground for me and I’m very tough.”
Somers credited her husband, Alan, and her children for helping her get through her decades-long battle.
“My cancer is a disease that affected my whole family and once it hit me in my 20s, Alan and I got even closer and every moment of every day was precious. We have not spent even one day apart in over 42 years. That’s the big upside of my cancer,” she said. “My son refers to our relationship as functionally co-dependent. And my incredible family has been unbelievably supportive every step of the way.”
The actress was public about her health issues. In her thirties, the Somers battled skin cancer, before fighting breast cancer in her fifties after being diagnosed in 2000.