Loni Anderson, star of hit US TV series WKRP in Cincinnati, dead at 79
Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated Anderson was also once married to actor Burt Reynolds
Loni Anderson, who played a struggling radio station’s empowered receptionist on the hit television comedy WKRP in Cincinnati, died on Sunday, just days before her 80th birthday.
Anderson died at a Los Angeles hospital following a “prolonged” illness, said her long-time 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 was broadcast from 1978 to 1982 and was set in a lagging Ohio radio station trying to reinvent itself with rock music.
Anderson played the station’s receptionist, the blonde and high-heeled Jennifer who used her sex appeal to deflect unwanted business calls for her boss, Mr Carlson. Her efficiency often kept the station running in the face of others’ incompetence.
The role earned her two Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe nominations.