Actress Loni Anderson Dies at 79

Actress Loni Anderson, best known for her role as the receptionist on “WKRP in Cincinnati,” died Sunday.

She was 79. She would have turned 80 on Aug. 5, per the Associated Press.

Her longtime publicist, Cheryl J. Kagan, said she died at a Los Angeles hospital following a prolonged illness.

“We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our dear wife, mother and grandmother,” her family said in a statement.

Anderson played Jennifer Marlowe on “WKRP in Cincinnati.” The show aired from 1978 to 1982.

She earned two Emmy Award nominations and three Golden Globe nominations for the role.

She was married to Burt Reynolds until they broke up in 1994. They met filming “Stroker Ace” in 1983.

Anderson starred on the big screen alongside Burt Reynolds in the 1983 comedy “Stroker Ace,” and the two later married and became tabloid fixtures before their messy breakup in 1994.

“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,” she told The Associated Press.

She was married three other times — most recently to Bob Flick in 2008.

Anderson was born Aug. 5, 1945, in St. Paul, Minnesota.

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.

Reynolds is also buried there.

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