American actress Suzanne Somers has died at the age of 76 after a years-long battle with cancer, her publicist has confirmed.
“Her family has gathered to celebrate her 77th birthday,” a statement released to the media said.
“Instead, they will celebrate her extraordinary life and want to thank the millions of fans and followers who loved her dearly.”
In addition to being an actress, Somers was an author and fitness guru.
She began her acting career in the late 1960s and early 1970s with small roles in television shows including The Love Boat and One Day at a Time, before landing the role of Chrissie Snow in Three’s Company in 1977.
Somers starred on the series for five of its eight seasons before being fired over a pay dispute.
After a hiatus from screen acting that included stints as an entertainer in Las Vegas, she returned to screen acting in the early 1990s, starring in Step by Step, which ran for seven seasons.
Her later television work included co-hosting Candid Camera, her own talk show, The Suzanne Show, and appearing on Dancing with the Stars.
Somers has also created a multimillion-dollar fitness empire, starring in commercials for the Thighmaster and ButtMaster machines and publishing several self-help books on topics such as health and weight loss. In 2019, she launched her own cosmetics brand.
She was first diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer when she was 50, and announced on social media in July that the cancer had returned after going into remission.
“I know how to put on combat gear and I am a fighter,” she wrote on Instagram.
Somers will have a private family funeral next week and a memorial will be held in November, her publicist said.
Somers is survived by her husband and son.