Loni Anderson, who rose to fame enjoying Jennifer Marlowe, the glamorous and quick-witted receptionist on the hit sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati, has handed away on the age of 79. In response to the Associated Press, Anderson died following a protracted sickness. Additional particulars haven’t but been made public.
For many who could be too younger to recollect, WKRP in Cincinnati was broadly thought to be one of many sharpest and funniest comedies of its period. Set at a struggling FM radio station in Cincinnati, the present adopted a ragtag group of staffers, together with bumbling station supervisor Arthur Carlson (Gordon Leap), straight-laced GM Andy Travis (Gary Sandy), DJs Dr. Johnny Fever (Howard Hesseman) and Venus Flytrap (Tim Reid), smarmy advert salesman Herb Tarlek (Frank Bonner), anxious newsman Les Nessman (Richard Sanders), and reporter Bailey Quarters (Jan Smithers).
Amongst them, Anderson in all probability had the quickest rise to fame. Her portrayal of Jennifer—a blonde bombshell who was something however a dumb blonde—made her an in a single day sensation. She shortly grew to become a pin-up icon of the late Seventies and early ’80s, her fame additional amplified by her high-profile marriage to actor Burt Reynolds, then considered one of Hollywood’s largest stars. The 2 co-starred within the racing movie, Stoker Ace, earlier than a contentious divorce within the ’90s turned the pair into tabloid mainstays.
Following WKRP, Anderson remained energetic in tv, starring in varied sequence, TV motion pictures, and even reprising her function in a short-lived revival of the present. Sadly, as a result of costly music licensing points —WKRP hasn’t loved the identical streaming presence as a lot of its contemporaries. Nonetheless, episodes just like the legendary “Turkeys Away” have endured as comedy classics.
Anderson was preceded in demise by a number of of her WKRP co-stars, together with Gordon Leap, Howard Hesseman, and Frank Bonner, in addition to sequence creator Hugh Wilson.
She is survived by her husband, Bob Flick—of the folks group The Brothers 4—and two kids.
Our heartfelt condolences exit to her household, pals, and followers. Could she relaxation in peace.
