Loni Anderson, best known for her role as the confident receptionist at a struggling radio station on the popular sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati, passed away Sunday, just days shy of her 80th birthday.
According to her longtime publicist Cheryl J. Kagan, Anderson died at a hospital in Los Angeles after battling a long illness.
“We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our dear wife, mother and grandmother,” Anderson’s family said in a statement.
“WKRP in Cincinnati” aired from 1978 to 1982 and was set in a flagging Ohio radio station trying to reinvent itself with rock music. The cast included Gary Sandy, Tim Reid, Howard Hesseman, Frank Bonner and Jan Smithers, alongside Anderson as Jennifer Marlowe, whose good looks were matched by her intelligence.
As the station’s receptionist, the blonde and high-heeled Jennifer routinely deflected unwanted business calls for her boss, Mr. Carlson. Her efficiency often kept the station running in the face of others’ incompetence.
The role brought Anderson critical acclaim, earning her two Emmy nominations and three Golden Globe nods.
She also appeared on the big screen with Burt Reynolds in the 1983 comedy Stroker Ace. The two went on to marry and became frequent subjects of tabloid coverage before their highly publicized split in 1994.
Reflecting on their time together, Anderson called their son, Quinton Reynolds, “the best decision we ever made in our entire relationship” during a 2021 ceremony honoring Reynolds with a bronze bust at his Hollywood gravesite.
“I think back to the beginning of our relationship, it was so, oh, gosh, tabloidy. We were just a spectacle all the time. And it was hard to have a relationship in that atmosphere. And somehow, we did it through many ups and downs,” Anderson told The Associated Press.
Anderson detailed their tumultuous marriage in the 1995 autobiography, “My Life in High Heels,” which she said was about “the growth of a woman, a woman who survives.”
“I think if you’re going to write about yourself, you have to do it warts and all,” Anderson told the AP while promoting the book. “You may not even tell the nicest things about yourself, because you’re telling the truth.”
She married four times, most recently to Bob Flick in 2008.
Anderson was born Aug. 5, 1945, in St. Paul, Minnesota. Her father was an environmental chemist, and her mother was a model.
Anderson’s acting debut came with a minor role in the 1966 film Nevada Smith, which starred Steve McQueen. She spent most of her career in television, landing early guest roles in the 1970s on shows like S.W.A.T. and Police Woman.
Following her success on WKRP in Cincinnati, she went on to star in the short-lived sitcom Easy Street and appeared in several made-for-TV movies, including A Letter to Three Wives and White Hot: The Mysterious Murder of Thelma Todd.
In 2023, she returned to the screen in Lifetime’s Ladies of the 80s: A Divas Christmas, co-starring with Linda Gray, Donna Mills, Morgan Fairchild, and Nicollette Sheridan.
“I am heartbroken to hear of the passing of the wonderful Loni Anderson!” Fairchild wrote on X. “The sweetest, most gracious lady! I’m just devastated to hear this.”
Anderson is survived by Flick, her daughter Deidra and son-in law Charlie Hoffman, son Quinton Anderson Reynolds, grandchildren McKenzie and Megan Hoffman, stepson Adam Flick and wife Helene, and step-grandchildren Felix and Maximilian.
A private family service is planned at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Kagan said.
