Kelsey Grammer Breaks His Silence Over Late ‘Cheers’ Co-Star Kirstie Alley

On December 5, 2022, after a brief battle with cancer, Cheers actress Kirstie Alley died at the age of 71. Following her death, many actors who worked with Alley paid tribute to her but Kelsey Grammer, who played Frasier Crane, had been relatively quiet since her death. Now, he has spoken up about his former co-star.

Cheers ran from 1982 to ’93 and featured a star-studded ensemble cast who play patrons and employees of the titular Cheers bar. Grammer was the face of Frasier Crane, who now has his own spinoff shows, and Alley was Rebecca Howe. Recently, Grammer spoke about the long friendship he had with Alley and honored her memory. Here’s what he had to say.

Kelsey Grammer speaks about his late ‘Cheers’ co-star Kirstie Alley

Grammer recently appeared on the Wednesday, February 22 episode of The Rachael Ray Show. There, the topic of conversation turned to Alley. “I loved Kirstie,” Grammer said of Alley, with whom he reportedly had a decades-long friendship. “She had that thing about her. She was a radiant human being and that came through her.”

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Grammer also praised her sincerity, noting, “She knew how to love. She was so honest in her emotions all the time.” That meant Alley also “showed up,” even after Grammer got in trouble with the law; she was there to support him. “She was one of the only ones who really showed up,” stressed Grammer, “to be supportive and that was magnificent.”

Kirstie Alley is mourned by Kelsey Grammer and many who knew her

Around the time Alley died, Cheers star Ted Danson had been watching an episode of the sitcom while on a plane. He found himself laughing in earnest at a scene prominently featuring Alley’s character. When he disembarked and learned she’d died, he was devastated. “I am so sad and so grateful for all the times she made me laugh,” said Danson. “I send my love to her children. As they well know, their mother had a heart of gold. I will miss her.”

In the immediate aftermath of Alley’s death, Grammer had simply said, “I always believed grief for a public figure is a private matter, but I will say I loved her [Kirstie Alley].” The additional details he provided on The Rachael Ray Show, therefore, had the host grateful, as Ray told Grammer, “I’m just blessed that I even knew her and I’m thrilled that you shared some of those thoughts with us. Thank you, my friend.”

Sadly, according to PEOPLE, Grammer and Alley were supposed to be at a friend’s book singing event; as Grammer recalls, “Kirstie was noticeably missing and about a week later she was gone.”