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Remembering Kirstie Alley of Cheers and More; Final Season of The Flash in February on The CW

Emmy-winning actress Kirstie Alley, who starred as Rebecca Howe on Cheers and as Veronica "Ronnie" Chase on Veronica's Closet, has died. She died from colon cancer at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, on December 5. Ms. Alley was 71.

Alley's first appearance was an uncredited role as Princess Carna's (Barbara Rhoades) second handmaiden in a 1978 episode of the science fiction sitcom Quark. She appeared as a contestant in three episodes of Match Game in 1979 and one episode of Password Plus in 1980. In 1983, she guest starred as Marion Stevens in an episode The Love Boat. She starred as Casey Collins 1983-1984 ABC espionage series Masquerade. In 1985, she starred as Virgilia Hazard in the ABC miniseries North and South.

She starred as Rebecca Howe on the NBC sitcom Cheers from 1987 to 1993. She joined the series in the sixth season (1987-1988) after Shelley Long (Diane Chambers) left after the fifth season (1986-1987). Rebecca Howe is the manager of the bar for the corporation that bought Cheers from Sam after his on-off relationship with Diane ended. After receiving two Emmy nominations for her work in 1988 and 1990, she won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1991. She won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical in 1991. She guest starred as Rebecca Howe in a 1993 episode of Wings. The Cheers cast from seasons 6-11 included Ted Danson, Rhea Perlman, George Wendt, John Ratzenberger, Kelsey Grammer, Woody Harrelson and Bebe Neuwirth.

Alley starred as Veronica "Ronnie" Chase on the 1997-2000 NBC sitcom Veronica's Closet. She also served as an executive producer for the series, which was created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman. Veronica "Ronnie" Chase is the owner of Veronica's Closet, a company that sells lingerie and other bedroom accessories. Alley received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1998. The series, which aired for three seasons and 66 episodes, also starred Kathy Najimy, Wallace Langham, Dan Cortese, Daryl "Chill" Mitchell, Cynthia Mann (season 1), Robert Prosky (season 1), Ron Silver (season 2) and Lorri Bagley (season 3).

She played a fictionalized version of herself in the short-lived 2005 Showtime comedy Fat Actress. The series was created by Alley and Brenda Hampton. Alley also worked as an executive producer and writer. The cast included Rachael Harris, Bryan Callen, Michael McDonald (recurring) and Kelly Preston (recurring).

Alley starred as Madison "Maddie" Banks on the 2013-2014 TV Land sitcom Kirstie. Kirstie tells the story of Tony Award-winning actress Madison "Maddie" Banks as she navigates through life after Arlo (Eric Petersen), the son whom she gave up at birth, reappears. Alley served as one of the executive producers. She appeared as Maddie Banks in two crossover episodes with Hot in Cleveland in 2013 and 2014. Kirstie's cast included her Cheers co-star Rhea Perlman as Thelma Katz, Maddie's personal secretary, and Seinfeld's Michael Richards as Frank Baxter, Maddie's driver.

Some of her sitcom guest appearances included Flesh 'n' Blood, Ink, Dharma & Greg (uncredited), The King of Queens, The Middle, Flaked and The Goldbergs. She received an Emmy nomination in 1997 for her role as Rose Marie Clericuzio in the crime drama series The Last Don. She starred as Nurse Ingrid Hoffel in the second season of the Fox horror comedy Scream Queens.

Alley appeared on and executive produced the 2010 A&E reality series Kirstie's Big Life. The series chronicles her life as she works to lose weight, launch a weight loss program and be a single mother. She was a contestant on the 12th season of Dancing with the Stars (2011–2012), finishing in second place. In 2018, she was a contestant on the 22nd series of the British reality show Celebrity Big Brother, in which she finished as runner-up. In 2022, she appeared as "Baby Mammoth" of Team Cuddly on The Masked Singer.

She won her second Emmy Award in 1994 for her role as Sally Goodson in the the 1994 CBS television film David's Mother. Some of her other television film credits included A Bunny's Tale (1985), Prince of Bel Air (1986), Infidelity (1987), Suddenly (1996), Toothless (1997), Salem Witch Trials (2003), While I Was Gone (2004), Write & Wrong (2007) and Baby Sellers (2013).

Alley made her film debut in 1982 in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, playing the Vulcan Starfleet officer Lieutenant Saavik. She starred as Mollie Jensen with John Travolta in Look Who's Talking (1989), Look Who's Talking Too (1990) and Look Who's Talking Now (1993). Some of her other film credits included One More Chance (1983), Blind Date (1984), Runaway (1984), Summer School (1987), Loverboy (1989), Madhouse (1990), Sibling Rivalry (1990), Village of the Damned (1995), It Takes Two (1995), Deconstructing Harry (1997), For Richer or Poorer (1997) and Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999).

Survivors include her two children, William True Stevenson and Lillie Price Stevenson, and three grandchildren.

Ms. Alley was a funny and talented actress. She was a great addition to the Cheers cast. She made everything she appeared in much better. We thank her for the many laughs and the entertainment that she brough us during her career. She will be deeply missed.

Share your memories on our Cheers or Veronica's Closet message board. View photos in our galleries.

The CW Network announced the ninth and final season of The Flash will premiere on Wednesday, February 8, 2023 (8:00-9:00pm ET/PT), followed by the midseason premiere of Kung Fu (9:00-10:00pm ET/PT). The season will consist of 13 episodes. After defeating the Reverse Flash once and for all, the ninth season of The Flash picks up one week later following their epic battle, and Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) and Iris West-Allen (Candice Patton) are reconnecting and growing closer than ever before. But when a deadly group of Rogues descend on Central City led by a powerful new threat, The Flash and his team - Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker), Meta-Empath Cecile Horton (Danielle Nicolet), the light-powered meta Allegra Garcia (Kayla Compton), brilliant tech-nerd Chester P. Runk (Brandon McKnight), and reformed cryogenics thief Mark Blaine (Jon Cor) - must once again defy impossible odds to save the day. But as The Rogues are defeated, a deadly new adversary rises to challenge Barry Allen's heroic legacy. And in their greatest battle yet, Barry and Team Flash will be pushed to their limits, in order to save Central City one last time.

Like a bolt of lightning, The Flash arrived on The CW on October 7, 2014. The premiere raced to become The CW's most-watched telecast of any series in the history of the network with over 6.8 million Total Viewers (in final Live + 7 Day Nielsen ratings). A recipient of critical acclaim and awards recognition throughout its run, The Flash won the People's Choice Award for Favorite New TV Drama and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy(R) Award for Outstanding Special Visual Effects in 2015.

Posted by Pavan -- SitcomsOnline.com at 12:00 PM

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Labels: Cheers, Kirstie, Obits, The CW, Veronica's Closet