Loni Anderson, star of hit ’80s TV series ‘WKRP in Cincinnati,’ dies at 79

LOS ANGELES — 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” aired from 1978-1982 and was set in a flagging Ohio radio station trying to reinvent itself with rock music. The cast included Gary Sandy, Tim Reid, Howard Hesseman, Frank Bonner and Jan Smithers, alongside Anderson as the sexy and smart Jennifer Marlowe.

As the station’s receptionist, the blonde and high-heeled Jennifer 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 Anderson two Emmy Award nominations 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.

Anderson wrote a 1995 autobiography, “My Life in High Heels,” which she said was about “the growth of a woman, a woman who survives. 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.”

“I think if you’re going to write about yourself, you have to do it warts and all,” Anderson told The Associated Press. “You may not even tell the nicest things about yourself, because you’re telling the truth.”

Anderson is survived by her husband, Bob Flick; daughter Deidra; and son-in law Charlie Hoffman; son Quinton Anderson Reynolds; grandchildren McKenzie and Megan Hoffman; stepson Adam Flick and wife Helene; and step-grandchildren Felix and Maximilian.