Suzanne Somers visits ‘Extra’ at Burbank Studios on February 19, 2020.Photo:Paul Archuleta/Getty
Paul Archuleta/Getty
Sue Cameron is remembering her late friendSuzanne Somers, whodied on Sunday morningone day before shewould have turned 77.
Cameron, who met theThree’s Companystar in 1975 when she was the director of daytime television at ABC, says Somers was “pure happiness and joy” and shared the final email she received from the actress in April.
In the note, Somers reflected on her own cancer journey and finding positivity in the face of adversity, writing, “I never dreamed aging would be responsible for not being able to walk. I told [my husband]Alan [Hamel]last night that I probably should get a cane but then I would feel ‘old’. See even now I can’t say ‘old.'"
Suzanne Somers.
“I am lucky to have been so sick and having my mobility be attacked realizing that being alive is a gift, the greatest gift, and I have great love, deep love, and I am grateful,” she continued.
In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, theHollywood Secrets and Scandalsauthor recalled Somers taking pride in continuing her career amid herhealth struggles.
“She was very, very proud of [being a] survivor,” she said. “She totally understood that and was very proud that she was a survivor and managed to continue an acting career and then create this other empire.”
Cameron also looked back at Somers’ early stardom andhow she fought for equality in Hollywood.
“She didAmerican Graffitiand the picture of her in that car inAmerican Graffitigot her everything” she recalled. “When she gotThree’s Company, she exploded as a star, and she really was the one.”
Cameron noted that Somers’Three’s Companycostar “John Ritterwas wonderful and extremely talented, but Suzanne was the breakout star.”
Joyce DeWitt, John Ritter, Suzanne Somers from ‘Three’s Company’.ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images
ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images
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Somers diedon Sunday morning at the age of 76, her publicist R. Couri Hay confirmed to PEOPLE.
“Suzanne Somers passed away peacefully at home in the early morning hours of October 15th. She survived an aggressive form of breast cancer for over 23 years,” Hay wrote in a statement to PEOPLE shared on behalf of the actress’ family.
source: people.com
