Loni Anderson, actor in hit 1980s show WKRP in Cincinnati, dead at 79

Loni Anderson, who played a struggling radio station's empowered receptionist on the hit TV comedy WKRP in Cincinnati, died Sunday — just days before her 80th birthday.

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

"We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our dear wife, mother and grandmother," Anderson's family said in a statement.

WKRP in Cincinnati, which aired from 1978 to 1982, was set in a lagging Ohio radio station trying to reinvent itself with rock music. The cast included Howard Hesseman, Frank Bonner, Tim Reid, Gordon Jump, Jan Smithers and Gary Sandy, alongside Anderson as Jennifer Marlowe, whose good looks were matched by her intelligence.

As the station's receptionist, the blond and high-heeled Jennifer routinely deflected unwanted business calls for her boss, Mr. Carlson, played by Jump. Her efficiency often kept the station running in the face of others' incompetence.

The role earned her two Emmy Award and three Golden Globe nominations.

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 divorcing in 1994.

Their son, Quinton Reynolds, was "the best decision that we ever made in our entire relationship," she said during the unveiling of a bronze bust at Reynolds' Hollywood gravesite in 2021.

"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.

She 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 on Aug. 5, 1945, in Saint Paul, Minn. Her father was an environmental chemist, and her mother was a model.

Her first role as an actor was a small part in the 1966 film Nevada Smith, starring Steve McQueen. Most of her career was spent on the small screen, with early guest parts in the 1970s on S.W.A.T. and Police Woman. 

After WKRP, Anderson starred in the short-lived comedy series Easy Street and appeared in made-for-TV movies including A Letter to Three Wives and White Hot: The Mysterious Murder of Thelma Todd.

In 2023, she co-starred in Lifetime's Ladies Of The '80s: A Divas Christmas 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 social media platform X. "The sweetest, most gracious lady! I'm just devastated to hear this."

Anderson is survived by Flick, daughter Deidra, son Quinton and two grandchildren.

A private family service is planned at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, publicist Kagan said.