This is a shock: “Cheers” actress Kirstie Alley has died from cancer at age 71. Her family says in a statement:
“To all our friends, far and wide around the world… We are sad to inform you that our incredible, fierce and loving mother has passed away after a battle with cancer, only recently discovered,” reads the statement. “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.”
Alley starred as Rebecca in “Cheers,” and after that in her own series, “Veronica’s Closet.” She was also well known for the “Look Who’s Talking” series.
But Alley’s primary focus in later years was promoting Scientology. They underwrote a diet company for her which closed quickly. Strangely enough. although she lived in Maine, Alley died at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, not far from Scientology headquarters. She’s the second woman in Scientologist John Travolta’s close personal circle, including his late wife Kelly Preston, to succumb to cancer.
Sources point out that Alley had been living near the Scientology center in Clearwater. They also point out that Scientology believes illnesses can be cured by Scientology “tech” — their mumbo jumbo that has nothing to do with medicine or regular medical treatment.
Alley is survived by her adult children, adopted with former husband, Parker Stevenson.
