Loni Anderson, Minnesota native who starred in TV’s ‘WKRP in Cincinnati,’ dies at 79

Loni Anderson, who was born and raised in Minnesota and played a struggling radio station’s empowered receptionist on the hit TV comedy “WKRP in Cincinnati,” died Sunday, days before her 80th birthday.

Anderson died at a Los Angeles hospital following a prolonged illness, said her longtime publicist Cheryl J. Kagan.

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

Anderson was born in St. Paul and grew up in Roseville.

“WKRP in Cincinnati” aired on CBS from 1978 to 1982 and was set in a flagging Ohio radio station trying to reinvent itself with rock music. The cast included Gary Sandy, Tim Reid, Howard Hesseman, Frank Bonner and Jan Smithers, alongside Anderson as the sexy and smart Jennifer Marlowe.

As the station’s receptionist, the blond and high-heeled Jennifer used her sex appeal to deflect unwanted business calls for her boss, Mr. Carlson. Her efficiency often kept the station running in the face of others’ incompetence.

Anderson told the Minnesota Star Tribune in 2023 that it was “too bad” the show has not been put on a streaming service due to issues with the music rights.

The role earned Anderson two Emmy Award nominations and three Golden Globe nominations.

Anderson met her fourth husband, Bob Flick, at a movie premiere in Minneapolis. Flick was a founding member of the folk group Brothers Four. The pair married in 2008.

In 1983, Anderson starred on the big screen alongside Burt Reynolds in the comedy “Stroker Ace” and the two later married and became tabloid fixtures before their messy breakup in 1994.

Their son, Quinton Reynolds, was “the best decision that we ever made in our entire relationship,” she said during the unveiling of a bronze bust at Reynolds’ Hollywood grave site in 2021.

“I think back to the beginning of our relationship, it was so, oh, gosh, tabloidy. We were just a spectacle all the time. And it was hard to have a relationship in that atmosphere. And somehow, we did it through many ups and downs,” Anderson told the Associated Press.

“I think if you’re going to write about yourself, you have to do it warts and all,” Anderson told the AP while promoting the book. “You may not even tell the nicest things about yourself, because you’re telling the truth.”

Anderson was born Aug. 5, 1945, in St. Paul. Her father was an environmental chemist, and her mother was a model.

She started as a Twin Cities stage actor in the ’60s. A natural brunette, she was able to grab the role of Billie Dawn in “Born Yesterday” at the Friars Dinner Theatre in Minneapolis by wearing a blond wig — which she didn’t reveal to the director or cast until the curtain had closed on opening night, she told the Star Tribune in 2023.

Locally, Anderson also performed at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, the former Old Log Theatre, and the Minnesota Centennial Showboat riverboat theater.

Her first role as a film actor was a small part in 1966’s “Nevada Smith,” starring Steve McQueen. Most of her career was spent on the small screen with early guest parts in the 1970s on “S.W.A.T.” and “Police Woman.”

In 2023, she co-starred in Lifetime’s “Ladies of the 80s: A Divas Christmas” with Linda Gray, Donna Mills, Morgan Fairchild and Nicollette Sheridan.

“I am heartbroken to hear of the passing of the wonderful Loni Anderson!” Fairchild wrote on X. “The sweetest, most gracious lady! I’m just devastated to hear this.”

Anderson is survived by Flick, her daughter Deidra, son Quinton Anderson Reynolds, stepson Adam Flick, and four grandchildren.

A private family service is planned at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Kagan said.