Suzanne Somers was a doting grandmother to six grandchildren, including a granddaughter who is a spitting image of her. Weeks before her death, Somers posted a photo with her grandchild, Camelia, who turned a year older the next day. “You DO NOT want to miss this celebration with all of her favorite things!! Including Bunny,” she wrote.
Somers’ publicist, R. Couri Hay, revealed that the actress died just before her 77th birthday after battling breast cancer for over 23 years. Couri added that Somers, who was married to Alan Hamel, was surrounded by family members who were present to celebrate her birthday but instead woke up to celebrate her life well lived.
Meet Camelia
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Like her Nana, Camelia is an actress known for her debut role as Charlotte in the CBS daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful. Somers’ son, Bruce Jr., whom she shared with her first husband, Bruce Somers, had Camelia in 1995. A few months back, Camelia posed with Somers for a photo and posted it to her Instagram page with the caption, “Didn’t expect to twin with my grandma when I threw on these shorts this morning. SHE’S HOT!!!!”
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Fans could not get over their uncanny resemblance as they posed in matching shorts and belts. “You got your grandma’s beauty,” someone wrote, while another agreed, calling them a “beautiful” pair. The 28-year-old also got to reprise her role in the soap this year.
Somers enjoyed being a grandparent
Somers revealed that being a grandma caused her to “fall in love all over again.” In an episode of PEOPLE magazine’s Celeb Moms Get Real, she also mentioned that one of the incredible things about having grandchildren is that they “just love you.” She added that she enjoys cooking for them and recalled a moment when the whole family came together. “I look at all of them, and I think we made it through the rain,” she had thought, echoing Brown Manilow’s words.
The late star also highlighted the fun part of being a grandparent, which is parenting without the responsibility. As the delightful older lady she was, Somers looked forward to eating lots of “cake with her family at her home in Palm Springs,” according to her publicist, but sadly passed away before she could.