Alan Hamel, husband of Suzanne Somers, gave the "Three's Company" star a handwritten letter a day before she died on a Sunday. Somers died aged 76 after a lengthy battle with cancer, one day before her 77th birthday. Just a few hours before her death, Hamel, her husband of 46, surprised her with this early birthday gift, a handwritten love poem.
Somers, a prominent sitcom star of the 1970s and 1980s, gained fame not only for her role in the popular show "Three's Company" but also for her leading role in ABC's "Step By Step," where she played a single mother alongside Patrick Duffy, known for his role in "Dallas."
Touching Last Birthday Gift
As per her publicist R. Couri Hay, Hamel,87, "gave it to her a day early and she read the poem and went to bed and later died peacefully in her sleep." The note, written entirely in capital letters, was lovingly enveloped in her favorite pink peonies.
"Love I use it every day, sometimes several times a day. I use it at the end of emails to my loving family. I even use it in emails to close friends. I use it when I'm leaving the house," the note began, via People. "There's love, then love you and I love you!! Therein lies some of the different ways we use love. Sometimes I feel obliged to use love, responding to someone who signed love in their email, when I'm uncomfortable using love but I use it anyway."
"I also use love to describe a great meal. I use it to express how I feel about a show on Netflix. I often use love referring to my home, my cat Gloria, to things Gloria does, to the taste of a cantaloupe I grew in my garden. I love the taste of a freshly harvested organic royal jumbo medjool date. I love biting a fig off the tree. I love watching two giant blackbirds who live nearby swooping by my window in a power dive.
"My daily life encompasses things and people I love and things and people I am indifferent to," he continued. "I could go on ad infinitum, but you get it. What brand of love do I feel for my wife Suzanne? Can I find it in any of the above? A resounding no!!!! There is no version of the word that is applicable to Suzanne and I even use the word applicable advisedly."
"The closest version in words isn't even close. It's not even a fraction of a fraction of a fraction. Unconditional love does not do it. I'll take a bullet for you doesn't do it. I weep when I think about my feelings for you. Feelings... That's getting close, but not all the way."
"55 years together, 46 married and not even one hour apart for 42 of those years. Even that doesn't do it," he added. "Even going to bed at 6 o'clock and holding hands while we sleep doesn't do it. Staring at your beautiful face while you sleep doesn't do it."
"I'm back to feelings. There are no words," he concluded. "There are no actions. No promises. No declarations. Even the green shaded scholars of the Oxford University Press have spent 150 years and still have failed to come up with that one word. So I will call it, 'Us,' uniquely, magically, indescribably wonderful 'Us.'"
A Marriage Worth Remembering
Somers faced a prolonged struggle with cancer, which began even before her breakthrough role as Chrissy Snow in the popular show in 1977, she revealed in July. Somers and Hamel got married in 1977 She has now found peace, leaving behind her devoted husband Alan, her son Bruce, 57, as well as two adult children and six cherished grandchildren.
Her publicist said that they were all present by her side in the days leading up to her birthday. "Suzanne Somers passed away peacefully at home in the early morning hours of October 15th," Hay said.
"She survived an aggressive form of breast cancer for over 23 years,' it went on to reveal.
"Suzanne was surrounded by her loving husband Alan, her son Bruce, and her immediate family. Her family was gathered to celebrate her 77th birthday.
"Instead, they will celebrate her extraordinary life, and want to thank her millions of fans and followers who loved her dearly."
Hay said that a private family burial is planned for Somers sometime this week, followed by a memorial to honor the iconic actress scheduled for next month.
Born in 1946 in San Bruno, California, Suzanne Somers was the daughter of a gardener father and a medical secretary mother. Her acting career took off in the late 1960s, notably appearing in George Lucas's 1973 film 'American Graffiti,' where she played a role with a single line, mouthing 'I love you' to Richard Dreyfuss's character while driving a white Thunderbird.
Somers even staged a one-woman Broadway show titled 'The Blonde in the Thunderbird' inspired by her role. Although the show received mostly negative reviews, it was a significant part of her journey.
During the 1970s, she made appearances in various television shows like 'The Rockford Files,' 'Magnum Force,' and 'The Six Million Dollar Man.' However, she rose to tremendous fame with her role in 'Three's Company,' which aired on ABC from 1977 to 1984, though her involvement concluded in 1981.
In 'Three's Company,' she played the ditzy blonde character alongside John Ritter and Joyce DeWitt in a roommate comedy, depicting a living situation with a woman and a man posing as gay. Her performance not only showcased her acting abilities but also established her as a prominent sex symbol, a status she acquired over the five years on the show.
In 1980, after four seasons, she sought a substantial pay increase from $30,000 per episode to $150,000 per episode, aiming for parity with Ritter's salary.
