Kirstie Alley, best known for her popular roles in Cheers and the Look Who’s Talking trilogy, has passed away at the age of 71.

The two-time Emmy-winning actress died after a short battle with cancer.

In a statement, her children said:

“We are sad to inform you that our incredible, fierce and loving mother has passed away after a short 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.”

Born in Wichita, Kansas, Alley attended drama classes at Kansas State University only to drop out in order to pursue Scientology and work as an interior decorator.

However, her first on-screen appearance came as a handmaiden in an episode of the sci-fi comedy series Quark (1978).

In 1981, Alley suffered the tragic loss of her mother to a car accident in 1981, before landing the role of Vulcan Starfleet officer Lieutenant Saavik in the hit Star Trek film sequel The Wrath of Khan (1982).

She then chose not to reprise that role in the next two sequels, later saying she was offered less money than for Star Trek II.

After appearing in an episode of The Love Boat, Alley then featured in the spy series Masquerade (1983-84). During that period, she also starred in smaller films including Champions (1984), Blind Date (1984) and Runaway (1984).

Her big breakthrough on television came when she appeared as Virgilia Hazard in the acclaimed miniseries North and South and its sequel North and South, Book II (1986). She then found success on the big-screen with her role in the romantic comedy Summer School (1987).

Shortly after, Alley landed the biggest acting gig of her career by playing ambitious yet eccentric bar owner Rebecca Howe in the hit NBC sitcom Cheers. Having replaced Shelley Long as the show’s new female lead, Alley appeared in 147 episodes until the sitcom was brought to a conclusion in 1993.

Throughout those years, Alley won an Emmy and Golden Globe for her comedic performance, and later reprised the role in an episode of Wings (1993).

While working on Cheers, she also found the time to star opposite John Travolta in the hit romantic comedy Look Who’s Talking (1989). The film was a box-office smash worldwide and led to two sequels; Look Who’s Talking Too (1990), and Look Who’s Talking Now (1993).

Alley then landed her second Emmy for her performance as Sally Goodson, the devoted mother of an autistic boy in the emotional TV film David’s Mother (1994).

After appearing in Village of the Damned (1995), she then enjoyed a productive 1997 with her roles in Deconstructing Harry and the crime-based miniseries The Last Don.

However, Alley’s most lucrative project that year came as romance expert Veronica Chase in the sitcom Veronica’s Closet (1997-2000). She would go on to play the character across three series and earn Emmy and Globe nods as a result.

After playing Gladys Leeman in the comedic thriller Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999), Alley played a fictionalised version of herself on Fat Actress (2005); a show that played on the way she was treated in the media over her weight gain and loss.

After guest roles in Without a Trace (2004), The King of Queens (2006), and Hot in Cleveland (2013-14), she then played the lead role in the short-lived sitcom Kirstie (2013-14).

In her later years, Alley popped up in ten episodes of Scream Queens (2016) as well as The Middle (2015) and The Goldbergs (2019). Her final screen role came as the mother of a rape victim in the television film You Can’t Take My Daughter (2020).

She also found success on reality television as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars (2011) and, more recently, The Masked Singer. In 2018, she was also a contestant on the 22nd series of Celebrity Big Brother, in which she finished as runner-up.

Alley is survived by her two adopted children, William and Lillie.