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Loni Anderson, ‘WKRP in Cincinnati’ Trailblazer, Dies at 79

Her family said she died in a Los Angeles hospital after a prolonged illness, days before her 80th birthday.

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FILE - Burt Reynolds, right, holds hands with Loni Anderson at a luncheon, March 27, 1987, in Los Angeles.
Loni Anderson arrives at the 17th Costume Designers Guild Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Feb. 17, 2015, in Beverly Hill. The “WKRP in Cincinnati” actress died Sunday at a Los Angeles hospital after a “prolonged illness.”

Overview

  • She died August 3 at age 79 in a Los Angeles hospital from a prolonged illness, her publicist, Cheryl J. Kagan, said.
  • Anderson became a household name as Jennifer Marlowe on CBS’s WKRP in Cincinnati from 1978 to 1982, earning two Emmy Award nominations and three Golden Globe nominations.
  • She successfully pushed to rewrite her character from a ‘dumb blonde’ stereotype into the ‘smartest person in the room,’ reshaping on-screen female agency.
  • Over four decades she appeared in TV movies, feature films and guest roles, making her final screen appearance in 2023’s Ladies of the ’80s: A Divas Christmas.
  • She is survived by husband Bob Flick, daughter Diedra, son Quinton, two grandchildren, a stepson and two step-grandchildren.