'Cheers' Stars Pay Tribute to Kirstie Alley After Her Death at 71

Cast members from the beloved series Cheers are speaking out following the death of Kirstie Alley, who died of cancer at the age of 71.

Kirstie played Rebecca Howe on the NBC sitcom and won both an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe for her performance.

Multiple members of the cast, including Ted Danson and Kelsey Grammer, have spoken out following Kirstie‘s death.

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“I was on a plane today and did something I rarely do. I watched an old episode of Cheers,” Danson said in a statement to Deadline. “It was the episode where Tom Berenger proposes to Kirstie, who keeps saying no, even though she desperately wants to say yes. Kirstie was truly brilliant in it. Her ability to play a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown was both moving and hysterically funny. She made me laugh 30 years ago when she shot that scene, and she made me laugh today just as hard. As I got off the plane, I heard that Kirstie had died. I am so sad and so grateful for all the times she made me laugh. I send my love to her children. As they well know, their mother had a heart of gold. I will miss her.”

Kelsey said, “I always believed grief for a public figure is a private matter, but I will say I loved her.”

Rhea Perlman said, “Kirstie was a unique and wonderful person and friend. Her joy of being was boundless. We became friends almost instantly when she joined the cast of Cheers. She loved kids and my kids loved her too. We had sleepovers at her house, with treasure hunts that she created. She had massive Halloween and Easter parties and invited the entire crew of the show and their families. She wanted everyone to feel included. She loved her children deeply. I’ve never met anyone remotely like her. I feel so thankful to have known her. I’m going to miss her very, very much.”

Find out why people are tweeting “you had a good go at it” following Kirstie‘s death.