<div><main data-testid="main-content" id="main-content"><article><header></header><div data-component="image-block"><figure><p><span><picture><source srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/2B60/production/_131440111_gettyimages-1207426078.jpg.webp 240w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/2B60/production/_131440111_gettyimages-1207426078.jpg.webp 320w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/2B60/production/_131440111_gettyimages-1207426078.jpg.webp 480w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/2B60/production/_131440111_gettyimages-1207426078.jpg.webp 624w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/2B60/production/_131440111_gettyimages-1207426078.jpg.webp 800w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/2B60/production/_131440111_gettyimages-1207426078.jpg.webp 976w" type="image/webp"></source><img alt="US actress Suzanne Somers" height="549" loading="eager" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/2B60/production/_131440111_gettyimages-1207426078.jpg" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/2B60/production/_131440111_gettyimages-1207426078.jpg 240w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/2B60/production/_131440111_gettyimages-1207426078.jpg 320w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/2B60/production/_131440111_gettyimages-1207426078.jpg 480w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/2B60/production/_131440111_gettyimages-1207426078.jpg 624w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/2B60/production/_131440111_gettyimages-1207426078.jpg 800w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/2B60/production/_131440111_gettyimages-1207426078.jpg 976w" width="976"></img></picture></span><span role="text"><span>Image source, </span>Getty Images</span></p><figcaption><span>Image caption, </span><p>Suzanne Somers had battled breast cancer for more than 20 years</p></figcaption></figure></div><div data-component="byline-block"><div><div><div><p>By Kathryn Armstrong</p><p>BBC News</p></div></div></div></div><div data-component="text-block"><p><b>US actress Suzanne Somers has died at the age of 76 following a decades-long battle with cancer, her publicist has confirmed. </b></p></div><div data-component="text-block"><p>"Her family was gathered to celebrate her 77th birthday," reads a statement shared with media. </p></div><div data-component="text-block"><p>"Instead, they will celebrate her extraordinary life, and want to thank her millions of fans and followers who loved her dearly."</p></div><div data-component="text-block"><p>As well as an actress, Somers was an author and fitness guru. </p></div><div data-component="text-block"><p>She began her acting career in the late 1960s and early 1970s with small parts in TV shows including The Love Boat and One Day at a Time before landing the role of Chrissy Snow in Three's Company in 1977.</p></div><div data-component="text-block"><p>Somers starred in the show for five of its eight seasons before being fired following a dispute over pay.</p></div><div data-component="text-block"><p>Following a break from on-screen acting that included a stint as an entertainer in Las Vegas, she returned to on-screen acting in the early 1990s - taking up a lead role in Step by Step, which ran for seven seasons. </p></div><div data-component="text-block"><p>Her later TV credits included co-hosting Candid Camera, her own talk show The Suzanne Show and an appearance on Dancing with the Stars. </p></div><div data-component="text-block"><p>Somers also built up a multimillion dollar fitness empire, appearing in commercials for the Thighmaster and ButtMaster exercise equipment and releasing several self-help books on topics including wellness and weight loss. She launched her own beauty brand in 2019. </p></div><div data-component="text-block"><p>She was first diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer in her 50s and announced on social media in July that, after being in remission, it had returned. </p></div><div data-component="text-block"><p>"I know how to put on my battle gear and I'm a fighter," she wrote on Instagram. </p></div><div data-component="text-block"><p>A private family burial will be held for Somers next week, according to her publicist, with a memorial to be held in November.</p></div><div data-component="text-block"><p>Somers is survived by her husband and son. </p></div></article></main></div>