The gorgeous Hollywood star Kirstie Alley died of colon cancer at 71. Her breakthrough act in the series, Cheers, earned her an Emmy and Golden Globe, and her Emmy acceptance speech is quite unforgettable for a reason; her husband got a sexy mention.
“And I wanted to thank my husband— and I didn’t want to thank him like, ‘You know, I really love him and everything.’ So I’d like to thank my husband Parker, the man who has given me the big ones for the last eight years,” Alley said to the audience’s cheeky laughter at the 1991 Emmys award show.
Alley’s Marriage To Parker
Alley’s marriage to Parker lasted from 1983 to 1997, producing two kids– True and Lillie Parker. At the news of her death, her ex-husband also took to Instagram to give a heartfelt tribute to Alley, alongside a throwback photo of them together. “Dear Kirstie, I am so grateful for our years together and for the two incredibly beautiful children and now grandchildren that we have,” Parker wrote. “…You will be missed. With love, Parker.”
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Their children, True and Lillie, announced their Alley’s passing in a statement highlighting their mother’s “zest and passion for life, her children, grandchildren and her many animals.”
“We are sad to inform you that our incredible, fierce, and loving mother has passed away after a battle with cancer, only recently discovered,” True, 30, and Lillie, 28, wrote. “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.”
Alley gave an entertaining speech
The actress also cracked the crowd up with other hilarious touch-points in the address, like when she acknowledged the past speeches she never got to say because other actors won the award. “I don’t have anything clever to say because for so many years I’ve sat there having clever things to say, and then they come back from the dry cleaners, and they’re wrinkled, and I’m embarrassed because they read my speech at the dry cleaner’s.”
Her Cheers costar, Ted Danson, also got a little side comment in Ally’s award speech. “I only thank God I didn’t have to wait as long as Ted. No, I mean it. I never was an ingénue because I just started too late,” She bantered. “Who knows where this could lead if I had to wait — how many more years? Five?”