Loni Anderson, who played a struggling radio stations empowered receptionist on the hit TV comedy WKRP in Cincinnati, has died.
The star and ex-wife of Burt Reynolds passed away on Sunday, just days before her 80th birthday.
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Anderson died at a Los Angeles hospital following a prolonged illness, her publicist said.
“We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our dear wife, mother and grandmother,” Anderson’s family said in a statement.
WKRP in Cincinnati aired from 1978-1982 and was set in a lagging Ohio radio station trying to reinvent itself with rock music.
The cast included Gary Sandy, Tim Reid, Howard Hesseman, Frank Bonner and Jan Smithers, alongside Anderson as the sexy and smart Jennifer Marlowe.
As the stations receptionist, the blonde and high-heeled Jennifer used her sex appeal to deflect unwanted business calls for her boss, Mr. Carlson.
Her efficiency often kept the station running in the face of others incompetence.
The role earned her two Emmy Award and three Golden Globe nominations.
Anderson starred on the big screen alongside Burt Reynolds in the 1983 comedy Stroker Ace and the two later married and became tabloid fixtures before divorcing in 1994.
Their son, Quinton Reynolds, was “the best decision that we ever made in our entire relationship,” she said during the unveiling of a bronze bust at Reynolds Hollywood grave site in 2021.
Anderson detailed her tumultuous marriage to Reynolds in the 1995 autobiography, My Life in High Heels which she said was about the “growth of a woman, a woman who survives”.
She added: “It’s about my childhood, the death of my parents, my career, my divorces, and my children.
“Then of course, the trauma of my marriage to Burt.
“I think if you’re going to write about yourself, you have to do it warts and all.
“You may not even tell the nicest things about yourself, because you’re telling the truth.”
She married four times, most recently to Bob Flick in 2008.
Anderson was born August 5, 1945, in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Her first role as an actress was a small part in the 1966 film Nevada Smith, starring Steve McQueen.
Most of her career was spent on the small screen with early guest parts in the 1970s on S.W.A.T. and Police Woman.
After WKRP, Anderson starred in the short-lived comedy series Easy Street and appeared in made-for-TV movies including A Letter to Three Wives and White Hot: The Mysterious Murder of Thelma Todd.
Anderson is survived by Flick, her daughter Deidra and son-in law Charlie Hoffman, son Quinton Anderson Reynolds, grandchildren McKenzie and Megan Hoffman, stepson Adam Flick and wife Helene, and step-grandchildren Felix and Maximilian.
A private family service is planned at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
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