Kirstie Alley was diagnosed with colon cancer before her death, a representative for the actress said Tuesday.
The rep made the confirmation to People after Alley’s family didn’t specify what type of cancer she had. Family members said in a death announcement Monday night that the illness was “only recently discovered.”
“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,” Alley’s family said in a statement.
Reps for Alley didn’t immediately respond to a Daily News request for comment.
Alley, who was 71, won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her portrayal of bar manager Rebecca Howe on “Cheers,” and received an Emmy as well for the TV drama movie “David’s Mother.”
Several of Alley’s “Cheers” co-stars paid tribute, including Ted Danson, who said he happened to watch an episode of the sitcom during a flight Monday before learning of her death.
“Her ability to play a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown was both moving and hysterically funny,” Danson, who starred as bar owner Sam Malone, said in a statement to Deadline.
“She made me laugh 30 years ago when she shot that scene, and she made me laugh today just as hard. As I got off the plane, I heard that Kirstie had died. I am so sad and so grateful for all the times she made me laugh. I send my love to her children. As they well know, their mother had a heart of gold. I will miss her.”
Alley joined “Cheers” for its sixth season and appeared on more than 100 episodes.
“We became friends almost instantly when she joined the cast of ‘Cheers,’” co-star Rhea Pearlman said, according to Deadline. “She loved kids and my kids loved her too. We had sleepovers at her house, with treasure hunts that she created. She had massive Halloween and Easter parties and invited the entire crew of the show and their families. She wanted everyone to feel included.”
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