Kirstie Alley died after brief battle with colon cancer

Kirstie Alley died yesterday after a brief battle with colon cancer, her representatives have revealed. 

The 71-year-old’s family announced yesterday that she had died after a brief battle with the disease that she only ‘recently discovered’. 

Her representatives on Tuesday told People that she had colon cancer – which is known as a ‘silent killer’, because symptoms often take longer to present themselves than in other types of the disease.

She had been receiving treatment at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, near her home in Clearwater.  

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Final photo on September 8th: Kirstie Alley’s family and representatives have confirmed she died of colon cancer 

Alley had been receiving treatment at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa. It’s unclear how long she had been suffering with cancer before she was diagnosed 

In a statement on social media, her family said: ‘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.

‘As iconic as she was on screen, she was an even more amazing mother and grandmother.’ 

Colon cancer is known as a silent killer around the world because symptoms often don’t present themselves until a patient is beyond a cure. 

Only a third of patients are diagnosed in stage one – when the cancer is 90 percent curable. It’s unclear what stage Alley’s cancer had progressed to. 

Alley led a colorful life off-camera, committing herself for decades to the Church of Scientology and having public spats with other stars. 

John Travolta led tributes to the actress on social media on Monday night after her family confirmed the sad news of her death. 

‘Kirstie was one of the most special relationships I’ve ever had. I love you Kirstie. I know we will see each other again,’ he said. 

Alley is shown in a 1986 episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. She starred in dozens of movies and TV shows for decades

Alley’s film debut was in the 1982 Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, a favorite among fans of the series. She opted not to reprise her role as a Vulcan Starfleet officer in later films, saying she was offered less money for sequels than for the original role 

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Alley was cast in 1987 as Rebecca Howe on NBC’s iconic sitcom Cheers, which revolved around a group of friends and their main hangout, a Boston bar

Alley said she fell in love with Travolta while they were working together on Look Who’s Talking, in which they portrayed a pair of lovers raising a child – and that she remained in love with him long after

A foxy and leather-clad Alley starred alongside a very young Patrick Dempsey in the 1989 film Loverboy

Kirstie Alley with her second husband, Parker Stevenson, in 1983

Kirstie Alley with her kids William True and Lillie Price in 2005

Alley, a devout Scientologist, is pictured glammed down in Clearwater, Florida in 2021. The controversial religious group’s spiritual headquarters are in Clearwater. Throughout her life, Alley was a committed member of the group and donated millions of dollars to the organization that John Travolta and his late wife Kelly Preston also belonged

Ted Danson, who was a mainstay in the NBC sitcom, said he was on a flight yesterday and by chance decided to watch an episode of Cheers starring Alley before he learned of her death, in which she is proposed to by Tom Berenger. 

He told People: ‘Her ability to play a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown was both moving and hysterically funny.

‘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,’ he said.