Loni Anderson in 1978 – Credit: CBS via Getty Images
Emmy-nominated actress Loni Anderson, best known for portraying receptionist Jennifer Marlowe on TV series WKRP in Cincinnati, died on Aug. 3 at 79 years old.
Anderson, who was only days away from celebrating her 80th birthday, died in a Los Angeles hospital following a prolonged illness, according to her longtime publicist, Cheryl J. Kagan (via AP). “We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our dear wife, mother, and grandmother,” Anderson’s family said in a statement.
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Known for her effervescent personality and matching good looks, Anderson became a fixture of the small screen in the 1970s and 1980s. She was nominated for two Emmys and three Golden Globes for her work on WKRP in Cincinnati, which aired 1978 to 1982 and became her most famous series. Throughout her career, Anderson appeared in numerous films and TV shows, including The Love Boat, Barnaby Jones, and The Bob Newhart Show. In 1983, she famously starred opposite Burt Reynolds in sports comedy film Stroker Ace, which led to the pair getting married.
Anderson was born Aug. 5, 1945, in St. Paul, Minnesota. She made her acting debut 1966 film Nevada Smith, starring Steve McQueen, but failed to land subsequent roles for several years. In the mid-1970s, her career began to pick up and Anderson appeared in episodes of S.W.A.T., The Invisible Man, The Love Boat, The Bob Newhart Show, and Police Woman. She joined the ensemble cast of WKRP in Cincinnati in 1978 alongside Gary Sandy, Howard Hesseman, and Gordon Jump. On the Emmy-nominated series, Anderson played the receptionist of a failing Ohio radio station whose sex appeal was mirrored by her impressively competent skills.
WKRP in Cincinnati made Anderson a household name and led to further career opportunities, including portraying Jayne Mansfield in The Jayne Mansfield Story in 1980 and joining Reynolds in Stroker Ace in 1983. Anderson and Reynolds married in 1988 and their relationship was a fixture of the tabloids leading up to their divorce in 1994. “I think back to the beginning of our relationship, it was so, oh, gosh, tabloidy,” Anderson told AP in 2021. “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 continued acting throughout the 1980s and 1990s. She voiced Flo in beloved animated film All Dogs Go to Heaven in 1989 and co-starred with Chris Kattan and Will Ferrell in raucous comedy A Night at the Roxbury in 1998. She appeared in several TV movies, including 1991’s White Hot: The Mysterious Murder of Thelma Todd and 1995’s Deadly Family Secrets. 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 X. “We did Bob Hope specials together & a Christmas movie 2 years ago. The sweetest, most gracious lady! I’m just devastated to hear this. Love & condolences to Bob (who was on set every day w her) & her kids and grandkids, who she adored.”
In 1995, Anderson authored New York Times-bestselling autobiography, My Life in High Heels, which she said was about “the growth of a woman, a woman who survives.” She told AP, It’s about my childhood, the death of my parents, my career, my divorces, and my children. Then of course, the trauma of my marriage to Burt.”
Although she was often considered a sex symbol, Anderson fought to be taken seriously as an actress. She originally turned down the role of Jennifer Marlowe because she didn’t want the character to be “window dressing.” “I felt it was important for the character to not just be a blonde,” she told Fox News in 2021. “It was really Hugh Wilson and Grant who were in the room that said, ‘You know what? We like it. Let’s do it.’ I felt so instrumental that they listened to the concept of this glamorous person who could also be the smartest person. And you know what? It was wonderful. I had a huge female following because of that. And that has always been one of my most treasured memories, knowing that it did have an effect on women.”
She added, “I never thought I would be Loni Anderson, sex symbol. But I embrace it. I think I was lucky enough to have been able to play so many different things and sex symbol was a part of it. I took whatever my career threw at me.”
Numerous friends and co-stars have paid tribute to Anderson in the wake of her death. “Like many, I am absolutely stunned and heartbroken,” actress Barbara Eden wrote on X. “Our friendship has spanned many years, and news like this is never easy to hear or accept. What can I say about Loni that everyone doesn’t already know? She was a real talent, with razor smart wit and a glowing sense of humor… but, even more than that, she had an impeccable work ethic. Even beyond that, Loni was a darling lady and a genuinely good person… I am truly at a loss for words.”
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