Loni Anderson, the bombshell of WKRP in Cincinnati, has died after a “prolonged illness.” She was 79. Her publicist, Cheryl J. Kagan, confirmed the actor’s passing to the Associated Press. “We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our dear wife, mother and grandmother,” her family said in a statement.
Loni Anderson was born in 1945 in St. Paul, Minnesota. According to her memoir, My Life in High Heels, her father originally wanted to name her Leilani, but worried children would make fun of her. So he settled for “Loni.” Anderson began acting in the 60s. Her career took off in 1978, when a guest spot on Three’s Company eventually led to a starring role on WKRP in Cincinnati. The show was a workcom set at a struggling AM radio station. It also starred Gary Sandy, Gordon Jump, and Howard Hesseman. Anderson was nominated for 3 Golden Globes and 2 Emmys for her role of receptionist Jennifer Marlow.
Anderson became a entertainment news fixture through her relationship with Burt Reynolds. The two met on the box office bomb Stoker Ace in 1983. They married in 1988 and divorced in 1994. They had a son, Quentin Anderson Reynolds, in 1988. “I think back to the beginning of our relationship, it was so, oh, gosh, tabloidy. We were just a spectacle all the time,” Anderson told AP in 2021. “And it was hard to have a relationship in that atmosphere. And somehow, we did it through many ups and downs.” She was married three other times in her life, and was married to folk singer Bob Flick at the time of her death.
Click here to preview your posts with PRO themes ››
After WKRP, Anderson continued working into the 2020’s. She voiced Flo in All Dogs Go to Heaven, co-starred in Bridget Everett’s Amazon pilot Love You More, and in 2023 starred in Lifetime’s Ladies Of The 80s: A Divas Christmas with Linda Gray, Donna Mills, Morgan Fairchild and Nicollette Sheridan. She was mourned by her fellow diva Morgan Fairchild, who wrote on Twitter “I am heartbroken to hear of the passing of the wonderful Loni Anderson! We did Bob Hope specials together & a Christmas movie 2 years ago. The sweetest, most gracious lady! I’m just devastated to hear this. Love & condolences to Bob (who was on set every day w her) & her kids and grandkids, who she adored.”
