Loni Anderson, the Emmy-nominated actress best known for her role as the intelligent and empowered receptionist Jennifer Marlowe on the CBS sitcom “WKRP in Cincinnati,” died Sunday at a Los Angeles hospital. She was 79 years old, passing just two days before her 80th birthday on August 5.
Anderson died at noon following what her longtime publicist, Cheryl J. Kagan, described as “an acute prolonged illness.” Her family released a statement expressing their grief, noting they were heartbroken to announce the passing of their dear wife, mother and grandmother.
The Minnesota native achieved widespread recognition through her portrayal of Jennifer Marlowe on “WKRP in Cincinnati,” which aired from 1978 to 1982. The sitcom followed the misadventures of employees at a struggling Ohio radio station attempting to reinvent itself with rock music. Anderson starred alongside Gary Sandy, Tim Reid, Howard Hesseman, Frank Bonner, Gordon Jump, Richard Sanders and Jan Smithers.
Anderson’s character broke the typical “dumb blonde” stereotype prevalent on television at the time. When she initially read for the role, she objected to the original character concept. Series creator Hugh Wilson agreed to reimagine Jennifer as both glamorous and intelligent – the smartest person in the room. The character used her wit and charm to deflect unwanted business calls for her boss, Mr. Carlson, while her efficiency often kept the station functioning despite her colleagues’ incompetence.
Her performance earned significant critical recognition, including two Emmy Award nominations in 1980 and 1981, though she lost to Loretta Swit of “M*A*S*H” and Eileen Brennan of “Private Benjamin,” respectively. She also received three Golden Globe nominations for the role that made her a household name and established her as a television sex symbol.
Born Loni Kaye Anderson on August 5, 1945, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, she was the daughter of Klaydon, an environmental chemist, and Maxine, a model. Anderson was naturally brunette but adopted her signature platinum blonde look for her acting career. She graduated from Alexander Ramsey Senior High School in Roseville in 1963 and finished runner-up in the 1964 Miss Minnesota pageant while studying art at the University of Minnesota.
Anderson’s acting career began on the Minneapolis stage, where she wore a blonde wig to play Billie in “Born Yesterday.” Veteran actor Pat O’Brien, who appeared in another production with her, encouraged her to pursue opportunities in Hollywood. She moved to Los Angeles in 1975, permanently dyed her hair platinum blonde, and found steady television work on shows including “S.W.A.T.,” “Police Woman,” “Barnaby Jones,” “Phyllis,” and “The Bob Newhart Show.”
Following “WKRP,” Anderson appeared in numerous television movies and series. She portrayed doomed Hollywood sex symbols in two notable telefilms: “The Jayne Mansfield Story” in 1980, alongside an untested Arnold Schwarzenegger, and “White Hot: The Mysterious Murder of Thelma Todd” in 1991. From 1988 to 1990, she starred in television movie remakes of classic films including “Leave Her to Heaven,” “Sorry, Wrong Number,” and “Three Coins in the Fountain.”
Anderson’s personal life attracted significant media attention, particularly her relationship with actor Burt Reynolds. The couple met in 1981 on “The Merv Griffin Show” and began dating a year later. They married on April 29, 1988, at Reynolds’ 160-acre ranch near Jupiter, Florida, in a ceremony attended by 65 guests including celebrities Perry Como, Ann-Margret and Jim Nabors.
The couple appeared together in the 1983 race car comedy “Stroker Ace,” directed by Hal Needham, where Anderson played Sunday school teacher Pembrook Feeny opposite Reynolds’ NASCAR driver character. They adopted a son, Quinton Anderson Reynolds, in August 1988.
Their marriage ended in a highly publicized and contentious divorce in 1994, marked by allegations of assault, infidelity and substance abuse. The legal proceedings took place in Martin County, Florida, where the couple maintained an estate in Hobe Sound. Reynolds was ordered to pay $11,000 monthly in alimony and cover a $1.3 million mortgage on Anderson’s California home. The financial strain contributed to his 1996 bankruptcy filing, where he owed more than $10 million. The legal dispute continued for over two decades until Reynolds paid off the settlement in 2015 after selling the Hobe Sound estate for $3.3 million.
Despite their acrimonious split, Anderson expressed condolences following Reynolds’ death in 2018. Anderson indicated that she and Quinton were extremely touched by the outpouring of love and support, noting that Reynolds was a wonderful director and actor who had been a big part of her life for 12 years and Quinton’s father for 30 years.
In her later career, Anderson made television appearances on shows including “Nurses,” “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch,” “V.I.P.,” and “So noTORIous,” where she played Tori Spelling’s mother in 2006. She also became a New York Times best-selling author with her 1995 autobiography “My Life in High Heels,” which detailed her relationship with Reynolds and her struggles to maintain her family.
Anderson was married four times throughout her life. Her first marriage was to Bruce Hasselberg in 1964, with whom she had a daughter, Deidra, before divorcing in 1966. She married actor Ross Bickell from 1974 to 1981, followed by her marriage to Reynolds. In 2008, she married musician Bob Flick, who survives her along with her two children, son-in-law Charlie Hoffman, grandchildren McKenzie and Megan Hoffman, stepson Adam Flick and his wife Helene, and step-grandchildren Felix and Maximilian.
