R.I.P.: Loni Anderson, Jennifer On WKRP In Cincinnati

WKRP Cast

Loni Anderson, best known for her role as Jennifer Marlowe on the CBS sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati, passed away on Sunday, at the age of 79, just days before her 80th birthday. 

(1945-2025)

According to her longtime publicist, Cheryl J. Kagan, Anderson died in a Los Angeles hospital following a prolonged illness, though the specific cause of death was not disclosed. 

Her family released a statement expressing their heartbreak, noting her roles as a beloved wife, mother, and grandmother.

Anderson was a prominent television actress, particularly in the late 1970s and 1980s, earning three Golden Globe nominations and two Emmy nominations for her portrayal of the smart and sultry receptionist Jennifer Marlowe. 

Her career also included roles in TV movies like The Jayne Mansfield Story (1980) and White Hot: The Mysterious Murder of Thelma Todd (1991), as well as appearances in films such as Stroker Ace (1983) alongside Burt Reynolds, to whom she was married from 1988 to 1994. 

More recently, she starred in the 2023 Lifetime movie Ladies of the '80s: A Divas Christmas.

She is survived by her husband, Bob Flick, a musician from the folk band The Brothers Four, whom she married in 2008; her daughter, Deidra Hoffman, from her first marriage to Bruce Hasselberg; her son, Quinton Anderson Reynolds, adopted with Burt Reynolds; her son-in-law, Charlie Hoffman; her grandchildren, McKenzie and Megan Hoffman; her stepson, Adam Flick, and his wife, Helene; and her step-grandchildren, Felix and Maximilian.