Loni Anderson Was Star of WKRP in Cincinnati

American actress Loni Anderson, who played the platinum-blonde receptionist on the TV sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati (1978 to 1982) and who later became a tabloid mainstay during her contentious divorce from late American actor Burt Reynolds, died in Los Angeles on Aug 3. She was 79.

- Claire Moses

LOS ANGELES - American actress Loni Anderson, who played the platinum-blonde receptionist on the TV sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati (1978 to 1982) and who later became a tabloid mainstay during her contentious divorce from late American actor Burt Reynolds, died in Los Angeles on Aug 3. She was 79.

Her death in a hospital, just days before her 80th birthday, was confirmed by her publicist Cheryl Kagan, who cited an unspecified prolonged illness.

Loni Kaye Anderson was born on Aug 5, 1945, in St. Paul, Minnesota, the daughter of chemist Klaydon Carl Anderson and model Maxine Kallin.

As a young woman, Loni Anderson epitomized the American beauty standards of her time with her fresh face, dimples, and big, sparkling eyes. She got her start in acting on television shows in the mid-1970s.

Her big break came in 1978 when she was cast as receptionist Jennifer Marlowe on WKRP in Cincinnati.