Loni Anderson's Cause of Death Revealed Nearly 3 Weeks After She Died at 79

NEED TO KNOW

• Loni Anderson's cause of death has been revealed nearly three weeks after she died on Aug. 3

• The actress, who was best known for her role as Jennifer Marlowe on the CBS sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati, died from metastatic uterine leiomyosarcoma

• Anderson's longtime publicist, Cheryl J. Kagan, previously confirmed that the star died at a Los Angeles hospital following a "prolonged" illness, per the Associated Press

Loni Anderson's cause of death has been revealed, nearly three weeks after she died just days before her 80th birthday.

On Friday, Aug. 22, it was confirmed that the actress died of metastatic uterine leiomyosarcoma, according to a death certificate obtained by TMZ.

Uterine leiomyosarcoma is a rare cancer that starts in the uterus and may spread "to other areas of the body, especially the lungs and liver often causing life-threatening complications," per the National Organization for Rare Disorders.

There were no other contributing factors listed in Anderson's death and the death certificate indicates that her remains were cremated and buried in Hollywood on Aug. 7.

Anderson's longtime publicist, Cheryl J. Kagan, first confirmed that the star had died at age 79 on Aug. 3.

The actress died at a Los Angeles hospital following a "prolonged" illness, per the Associated Press. She was about to turn 80 on Aug. 5.

“We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our dear wife, mother and grandmother,” Anderson’s family said in a statement.

Anderson was best known for her role as Jennifer Marlowe on the CBS sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati, which aired for four seasons on CBS, from 1978 to 1982.

She received three Golden Globe nominations and two Emmy nominations for her work on the series.

Anderson then went on to star in the 1983 race car comedy Stroker Ace, which is when she fell in love with her costar, and eventual husband Burt Reynolds during filming.

The former Hollywood power couple's secret 1988 nuptials, which took place at Reynolds' ranch in Jupiter, Fla., were documented by PEOPLE at the time.

"I'm a very lucky man," he said at the reception, which followed a 20-minute ceremony. "I'm surrounded by love and dear friends, and I married my best friend today."

Anderson added, "I feel like Cinderella. I married Prince Charming." The two later adopted a son, Quinton.

The pair ended up divorcing in 1994, and have since spoken openly about the issues in their marriage.

Reynolds — who died on Sept. 6, 2018 at age 82 — told PEOPLE in 2015 that marrying Anderson "was a really dumb move on my part," while the actress claimed that her ex would physically abuse her while he was allegedly under the influence of drugs, SFGate reported in 1995.

Following their divorce, Anderson made television appearances on shows including Nurses, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and V.I.P. She also played Tori Spelling's mother in 2006's So noTORIous.

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Anderson was married four times in total. In 1964, she wed Bruce Hasselberg, and they shared a daughter, Deirdra. She and Hasselberg divorced in 1966. Next, she was married to actor Ross Bickell from 1974 to 1981, followed by Reynolds.

Anderson is survived by her husband, musician Bob Flick, whom she wed in 2008.

Read the original article on People