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Actor Kirstie Alley, who starred in Cheers, dies aged 71

Kirstie Alley, who starred in Cheers, has died soon after being diagnosed with cancer.

She was 71.

Alley's children True and Lillie Parker announced her death on social media before her manager Donovan Daughtry confirmed the news in an email.

They remembered their "fierce and loving" mother for her "zest" for life.

"As iconic as she was on screen, she was an even more amazing mother and grandmother," her children's statement said.

They thanked the "incredible" staff at a Florida cancer hospital for the care they provided their mother. 

Alley starred opposite Ted Danson as Rebecca Howe on the NBC sitcom Cheers from 1987 to 1993, after the departure of original star Shelley Long.

She won an Emmy for best lead actress in a comedy series for the role in 1991.

"I only thank God I didn't have to wait as long as Ted," Alley said in her acceptance, gently ribbing her co-star who had finally won an Emmy for his role as Sam Malone in his eighth nomination the previous year.

Alley later had her own sitcom on the network, "Veronica's Closet," from 1997 to 2000.

Alley is also remembered for her role as Mollie in the 1989 film Look Who's Talking with John Travolta. 

Celebrities including Travolta have taken to social media to pay tribute to the actor. 

"Kirstie was one of the most special relationships I ever had," Travolta wrote on Instagram.

"I love you Kirstie. I know we will see each other again."

Journalist Megyn Kelly said Alley was a "beautiful, brave, funny and beloved woman". 

Actor and producer Daniel Whitney described her as a sweetheart. 

In recent years, Alley appeared on several reality shows, including a second-place finish on US Dancing With the Stars in 2011.

She performed on the US competition series The Masked Singer wearing a baby mammoth costume earlier this year.

In 2015 and 2016, she appeared in the Ryan Murphy comedy series Scream Queens.

One of her co-stars on the show, Jamie Lee Curtis, paid tribute on Instagram, saying Alley was "a great comic foil" on the show and "a beautiful mama bear in her very real life". 

Cheers co-star Kelsey Grammar said in a statement that "I always believed grief for a public figure is a private matter, but I will say I loved her".

ABC/ AP

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