Suzanne Somers is dead at 76, according to her longtime publicist R. Couri Hay.
The “Three’s Company” actress died in her home while surrounded by her family in the early hours of Sunday, the eve of her 77th birthday.
“Her family was gathered to celebrate her 77th birthday on October 16th. Instead, they will celebrate her extraordinary life, and want to thank her millions of fans and followers who loved her dearly,” Hay said in a statement on behalf of Somers’ family.
It wasn’t immediately clear how Somers passed, but Hay said the actress “survived an aggressive form of breast cancer for over 23 years.”
Somers will be buried in a private ceremony sometime this week and a memorial will follow next month, according to Hay.
In July, Somers shared on Instagram that her breast cancer had returned.
“Like any cancer patient, when you get that dreaded, ‘It’s back’ you get a pit in your stomach. Then I put on my battle gear and go to war,” she told Entertainment Tonight at the time. “This is familiar battleground for me and I’m very tough.”
She was first diagnosed in 2000, and also had skin cancer. She faced some criticism for her reliance on what she’s described as a chemical-free and organic lifestyle to combat the cancers.
Somers appeared in many television shows in the 1970s, including “The Rockford Files,” “Magnum Force” and “The Six Million Dollar Man,” but her most famous part came with “Three’s Company,” which aired on ABC from 1977 to 1984. She also played the mom in the long-running kids sitcom “Step by Step.”
Associated Press contributed.
