Three’s Company actress Suzanne Somers passes away a day before 77

Suzanne Somers died on 15th October, the day before her 77th birthday. As fans and celebs mourn, one must recall the stand she took against gender disparity and wage gap in Hollywood.

Suzanne Somers dies a day before 77th birthday

Renowned actor, author, entrepreneur, and health icon Suzanne Somers passed away on Sunday morning, at her Palm Springs residence in California. She had battled with breast cancer for more than two decades, and successfully so. However, the carcinoma had made a comeback in July 2023 and Somers talked about it on Instagram, and about how supportive her family has been. This was not her first brush-in with cancer, though. She had suffered from hyperplasia throughout her twenties and fought skin cancer in her thirties.

The highs and lows of Suzanne Somers

Born in 1946 to an ordinary family with an abusive, alcoholic father, had given Suzanne Somers a rather tumultuous start to life, with an early marriage and a sequential divorce. However, divorced from Bruce Somers, she began modelling for ‘The Anniversary Game’ to support herself. Soon after, she began acting by debuting in Steve Mcqueen’s Bullitt. However, she was raised into limelight with her iconic blonde character in American Grafitti. It paved the way for the blonde, skittish Chrissy Snow that everyone adored seeing on Three’s Company.

After starring opposite John Ritter and Joyce Dewitt for four successful seasons, Suzanne made a grave mistake. She dared to ask for a raise that would make her pay comparable to what Ritter was earning. ABC simply showed her the door, an act that sent a clean message regarding the gender disparity in paying wages. Even worse, the entire cast boycotted her as they had misunderstood her intentions. Yet, determined to not let all this pull her down, Suzanne Somers pulled through and did different things, from hosting a talk show, to becoming the spokesperson for ‘ThighMaster’, to starring prominently again in Step by Step. She also wrote books and became an entrepreneur.

Reportedly, Suzanne was in high spirits and surrounded by the two things she loved the most, before her death. In an interview with the People Magazine, she had revealed that all she wanted for her birthday were her loved ones and lots of cake!

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