Dec 06, 2022

Kirstie Alley, Kansas native, Emmy-winning actress dies at 71

Posted Dec 06, 2022 4:00 AM

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Kirstie Alley, who won an Emmy for her role on “Cheers” and starred in films including “Look Who's Talking,” died Monday.

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.

Alley was 71. She was born in Wichita and graduated from Southeast High School in 1969.

“As iconic as she was on screen, she was an even more amazing mother and grandmother,” her children's statement said.

She starred as Rebecca Howe on the NBC sitcom “Cheers” from 1987 to 1993, after the departure of original star Shelley Long.

She had her own sitcom on the network, “Veronica's Closet,” from 1997 to 2000.