Kirstie Alley’s ex-husband Parker Stevenson is opening up about her sad death.
On Monday, just as news of the Cheers alum’s death made headlines, the actor took to Instagram to reflect on the loss of his ex-wife, with whom he shared children True, 30, and Lillie, 28. Alongside a throwback photo of the couple, Parker expressed:
“Dear Kirstie, I am so grateful for our years together, and for the two incredibly beautiful children and now grandchildren that we have. You will be missed. With love, Parker”
Aw. So sweet.
If you didn’t know, Kirstie and Parker tied the knot in December 1983 after meeting in a bar, six years after she split from her first husband, Bob Alley. Things were not always smooth sailing for the couple, especially as they tried to get pregnant.
In her 2005 memoir, How to Lose Your Ass and Regain Your Life, the Summer School alum reflected on suffering a miscarriage when she was three months pregnant with her first child in 1990. She wrote:
“When the baby was gone, I just didn’t really get over it. Neither did my body. I so thoroughly convinced my body that it was still pregnant after nine months that I had milk coming from my breasts.”
How traumatic. Following this loss, the couple adopted their son True in 1992 and daughter Lillie in 1995. Unfortunately, their marriage didn’t last past 1997. In a 20/20 interview in 2012, while promoting her book, The Art of Men (I Prefer Mine al Dente), Alley admitted part of the problem was she fell in love with her co-stars Patrick Swayze and John Travolta while working on North and South and Look Who’s Talking, respectively. Despite her feelings, she never had an affair with either man and fought for her marriage, she revealed:
“Because I feel like when you marry someone you’re supposed to work hard at it, and you’re supposed to make it work.”
But ultimately, they were better off apart… The exes went through so much together, so we’re sure this was a tough loss for Parker.
The Baywatch star’s heartbreaking message (HERE) comes after Kirstie’s children confirmed she passed away on Monday night after a brief battle with cancer while surrounded by family. Her representative later told People she had been battling colon cancer. The Kirstie Alley’s Big Life stars wrote:
“We are sad to inform you that our incredible, fierce and loving mother has passed away after a battle with cancer, only recently discovered. She was surrounded by her closest family and fought with great strength, leaving us with a certainty of her never-ending joy of living and whatever adventures lie ahead. As iconic as she was on screen, she was an even more amazing mother and grandmother.”
They also expressed gratitude for the actress’ caregivers at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, where she was receiving treatment before her passing. The pair concluded their message by admiring the way the 71-year-old star lived her life, saying:
“Our mother’s zest and passion for life, her children, grandchildren and her many animals, not to mention her eternal joy of creating, were unparalleled and leave us inspired to live life to the fullest just as she did.”
Such a beautiful tribute, and it shows how much they learned from their mother. The world got to know the now-adult children in the family’s reality TV show in 2010. At the time, Kirstie opened up about her viewpoint on parenting kids while in the spotlight, telling Yahoo:
“It’s 100 percent my responsibility to them into the world with as much knowledge and survival tactics as I possibly can. Love is also key. No matter what they do, love them but don’t spoil them and make them into brats — that does them a great disservice. aren’t going to be entitled or get anything they want in life; they’re going to earn it.”
Seems like they really valued Kirstie’s outlook on life and never took anything for granted. We are sending them lots of love as they process this immense loss.
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