Popular 1980s actor Loni Anderson of the hit TV series 'WKRP in
Cincinnati' has died
[August 04, 2025]
By CHRISTOPHER WEBER
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Loni Anderson, who played a struggling radio
station’s empowered receptionist on the hit TV comedy “WKRP in
Cincinnati,” died Sunday, just days before her 80th birthday.
Anderson died at a Los Angeles hospital following a prolonged illness,
said her longtime publicist, Cheryl J. Kagan.
“We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our dear wife, mother and
grandmother,” Anderson’s family said in a statement.
“WKRP in Cincinnati” aired from 1978 to 1982 and was set in a flagging
Ohio radio station trying to reinvent itself with rock music. The cast
included Gary Sandy, Tim Reid, Howard Hesseman, Frank Bonner and Jan
Smithers, alongside Anderson as Jennifer Marlowe, whose good looks were
matched by her intelligence.
As the station’s receptionist, the blonde and high-heeled Jennifer
routinely deflected unwanted business calls for her boss, Mr. Carlson.
Her efficiency often kept the station running in the face of others’
incompetence.
The role earned Anderson two Emmy Award nominations and three Golden
Globe nominations.
Anderson starred on the big screen alongside Burt Reynold s in the 1983
comedy “Stroker Ace,” and the two later married and became tabloid
fixtures before their messy breakup in 1994.
Their son, Quinton Reynolds, was “the best decision that we ever made in
our entire relationship,” she said during the unveiling of a bronze bust
at Reynolds’ Hollywood grave site in 2021.
“I think back to the beginning of our relationship, it was so, oh, gosh,
tabloidy. We were just a spectacle all the time. And it was hard to have
a relationship in that atmosphere. And somehow, we did it through many
ups and downs," Anderson told The Associated Press.
Anderson detailed their tumultuous marriage in the 1995 autobiography,
“My Life in High Heels,” which she said was about “the growth of a
woman, a woman who survives."
“I think if you’re going to write about yourself, you have to do it
warts and all,” Anderson told the AP while promoting the book. “You may
not even tell the nicest things about yourself, because you’re telling
the truth.”
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Loni Anderson attends the 26th Annual Race to Erase MS Gala at the
Beverly Hilton, Friday, May 10, 2019, in Beverly Hills, Calif.
(Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)
 She married four times, most
recently to Bob Flick in 2008.
Anderson was born Aug. 5, 1945, in St. Paul, Minnesota. Her father
was an environmental chemist, and her mother was a model.
Her first role as an actress was a small part in the 1966 film
“Nevada Smith,” starring Steve McQueen. Most of her career was spent
on the small screen with early guest parts in the 1970s on
“S.W.A.T.” and “Police Woman.” After “WKRP,” Anderson starred in the
short-lived comedy series “Easy Street” and appeared in made-for-TV
movies including “A Letter to Three Wives” and “White Hot: The
Mysterious Murder of Thelma Todd.”
In 2023 she co-starred in Lifetime’s “Ladies Of The 80s: A Divas
Christmas” with Linda Gray, Donna Mills, Morgan Fairchild and
Nicollette Sheridan.
“I am heartbroken to hear of the passing of the wonderful Loni
Anderson!” Fairchild wrote on X. “The sweetest, most gracious lady!
I’m just devastated to hear this."
Anderson is survived by Flick, her daughter Deidra and son-in law
Charlie Hoffman, son Quinton Anderson Reynolds, grandchildren
McKenzie and Megan Hoffman, stepson Adam Flick and wife Helene, and
step-grandchildren Felix and Maximilian.
A private family service is planned at the Hollywood Forever
Cemetery, Kagan said.
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Associated Press journalist Itzel Luna in Los Angeles contributed.
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