Donald Trump has paid tribute to the late Kirstie Alley.
Alley died of cancer at the age of 71. She was a vocal supporter of the former US President.
On Monday (5 December), Trump wrote on Truth Social: “Kirstie was a great person who truly loved the USA. She will be missed!!!”
The Cheers star faced backlash online after stating her plans to vote for Trump in 2020 because he was “not a politician”.
In a 2021 interview with Tucker Carlson on Fox Nation, Alley said that she was advised in 2015 to keep her political views to herself and that she was “blackballed” by Hollywood for not doing so.
“People go, ‘You’re so brave.’ I go, ‘No, I think I’m stupid’,” she said. “It’s so strange to me because artists are free-thinkers, for the most part.
“You can be cooking meth and sleeping with hookers, as long as apparently you didn’t vote for Trump. I feel like I’m in The Twilight Zone a bit, with the whole concept of it.”
Following Alley’s interview, Trump shared a statement calling the Emmy winner “strong and smart” and “a great actress”.
“Just got a very kind acknowledgment,” Alley tweeted as she reposted the former president’s words. “Thank you Sir, I wish you were still on Twitter... as you should be.”
Apart from Trump, many celebrities including Alley’s Look Who’s Talking co-star John Travolta paid tribute to the actor in a statement on Monday.
“Kirstie was one of the most special relationships I’ve ever had,” he wrote on Instagram. “I love you Kirstie. I know we will see each other again.”
Follow The Independent’s live blog about Alley’s death here.
