SUZANNE SOMERS, R.I.P.

I knew Suzanne very slightly back in the day. We were actually one-degree separated a few times, so I felt a tad of kinship with her. Even though I knew that she had been somewhat unwell recently, our bit of acquaintance made her death last week-end a little extra shocking.

Suzanne Somers.

Actually, I had had a bad feeling about her two days before she died. I had spotted a random, out-of-the-blue photo of Suzanne’s immediate replacement on Three’s Company, Jenilee Harrison, whom I knew had married my former chiropractor. That made me curious to see a picture of them now, so I looked-up “Images” for Jenilee. And what I got was a picture labeled as a “Three’s Company Reunion.” The four participants looked pretty um, mature, shall I say, so I knew it was taken recently. And when Suzanne wasn’t in it, my mind said, “Uh-oh.” I was concerned that she was perhaps not well enough to join them, and actually wondered if she had passed away. And then two days later, she did.

The reason her death sort-of freaked Mr. X and me out is that uber-health-conscious Suzanne always seemed like she would outlast all of us.

Suzanne Somers.

My first glancing meeting with Suzanne Somers was very many years ago, when I was first in the business. I met her briefly through mutual friends. And then, a few years later, when Mr. X and I were already an item, he did a TV pilot with her. Suzanne made it abundantly clear that she adored working with him, and even lobbied the powers-that-be to make him her love interest on the show, as opposed to being the sidekick that he was cast to play. So that made me respect her.

What sort-of bonded us, though, came much later, and not in a fun way—we shared our breast doctor. He would never discuss patients with one another, but I had read that she went to him. He was a self-confessed fan of my show, and when I mentioned Suzanne, he said he was a fan of hers, too. I knew that she was having medical issues in that area, so that I had chosen a doctor who was also working with someone who was so into her own health gave me a modicum of comfort.

And now that she’s gone, please, everybody, let her death serve as a reminder to us all to not leave our health care until it’s too late. I was about to schedule my yearly mammogram, anyway, but now I’ll stop procrastinating and do it right away. I hope that all of you do, too.

Suzanne Somers and Alan Hamel.

My heart goes out to her long-time husband, Alan Hamel; he and Suzanne were an intensely together couple, and you never saw one without the other. I’m glad that Suzanne’s son and the rest of their family are there for each other in this very sad time for them.

R.I.P., Suzanne Somers.