Actress Kirstie Alley has passed away following a brief battle with cancer. In a statement about her death, Alley’s children, True and Lillie Parker, revealed the illness was “only recently discovered.”
They shared the tragic news on Alley’s Instagram page. Though the comment section was disabled, by Tuesday morning, the post had garnered over 150,000 likes. Fans also flooded Alley’s other page posts with condolences.
“To all our friends, far and wide around the world, we are sad to inform you that our incredible, fire, and loving mother has passed away after a battle with cancer, only recently discovered,” the statement said. “She was surrounded by her closest family and fought with great strength, leaving us 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.”
There’s little additional information about Alley and her battle, including the date of discovery and the type of cancer. However, the statement revealed that Alley received treatment at Houston Lee Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida.
Kirstie Alley’s Kids Say Their Mother Left Them ‘Inspired’
In their statement confirming the news, Kirstie’s children spoke lovingly of their mother and her place in the world. Alley is survived by two kids, 30-year-old William True and 28-year-old Lillie, and two grandchildren.
“Our mother’s zest and passion for life, her children, grandchildren, and her many animals, not to mention her eternal joy of creating, unparalleled and leave us inspired to live life to the fullest just as she did,” the joint statement said.
Kirstie and her former husband, Peter Stevenson, adopted True in 1992 after suffering a miscarriage in 1990 while three months pregnant. Two years after adopting True, the former couple adopted Lillie. Alley was a Gammy, as she called herself, to True’s son Waylon Tripp Parker and Lillie’s son Ripp Woodrow Graham.