The cause of death for Loni Anderson has been determined. The beloved Emmy-nominated star of WKRP in Cincinnati passed away from metastatic uterine leiomyosarcoma, an aggressive and rare cancer that often originates in the uterus and can spread to other areas of the body, as revealed in a death certificate obtained by TMZ. Notably, no additional contributing factors were indicated.
Anderson died on August 3 in Los Angeles, just days shy of her 80th birthday.
Her longtime publicist, Cheryl J. Kagan, confirmed to Deadline that Anderson succumbed to “an acute prolonged illness.”
Anderson is best remembered for her iconic role as Jennifer Marlowe, the astute receptionist in the classic sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati, which spotlighted the quirky staff of a struggling Top 40 rock radio station in Ohio from 1978 to 1982 on CBS. She earned two Emmy nominations and three Golden Globe nominations for her outstanding performance.
In addition to her groundbreaking role, Anderson portrayed Jayne Mansfield in a 1980 TV film alongside a then-unknown Arnold Schwarzenegger. She also starred in the 1991 telefilm White Hot: The Mysterious Murder of Thelma Todd. Her impressive television resume includes appearances in S.W.A.T., The Incredible Hulk, The Love Boat, Police Woman, Barnaby Jones, The Bob Newhart Show, and Three's Company, as well as in later series like The New WKRP in Cincinnati, Empty Nest, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and Clueless.
Anderson was also known for her high-profile 12-year relationship and six-year marriage to Burt Reynolds. They first met during the filming of 1983's Stroker Ace and began dating shortly thereafter, tying the knot in 1988 before divorcing five years later.
In 1995, she published the New York Times bestselling autobiography, My Life in High Heels, which she described as a story of “the growth of a woman, a woman who survives." The memoir chronicles her childhood, the loss of her parents, her flourishing career, her divorces, and her children, culminating in the challenges of her marriage to Burt, as stated by the Associated Press.
Anderson's final project was Lifetime's Ladies of the 80's: A Divas Christmas (2023), where she shared the screen with Linda Gray, Donna Mills, Morgan Fairchild, and Nicollette Sheridan.
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