What Illness Did Loni Anderson Have, and Did It Contribute to Her Death?

Widely known for her role as Jennifer Marlowe on the CBS sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati, which aired from 1978 through 1982, Loni Anderson was a true TV icon. She reprised her role in the show's 1993 reboot, but also starred in plenty of other projects in the years between.

Just days before she was set to turn 80, Loni died on Aug. 3, 2025, in a Los Angeles hospital, her longtime publicist Cheryl J. Kagan confirmed to The Daily Beast. “We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our dear wife, mother, and grandmother,” her family said in a statement.

Loni was said to have been struggling with an illness shortly before her passing, but what exactly was it, and was it responsible for her death? Here’s what we know.

Loni was reportedly suffering from an illness, though the exact details, such as the type and when it began, remain unclear. However, her publicist confirmed to The Daily Beast that it was an “acute prolonged illness,” which typically refers to a serious condition that comes on suddenly but doesn’t resolve quickly, lasting for an extended period of time.

Despite her health challenges, Loni continued to push through and managed to keep working. Her publicist shared that she faced “her diagnosis with determination.” Her most recent role was Lily Marlowe in 2023’s Ladies of the ’80s: A Divas Christmas.

While little is known about Loni’s own illness, she spent much of her life raising awareness for COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), after watching both of her parents, who were heavy smokers, die from cancer. She believed their lifelong unhealthy habits contributed to their early deaths, per the New York Post.

Her mother, Maxine, died from liver and pancreatic cancer, while her father, Andy, died from prostate cancer at 53. Both also struggled with COPD, a disease that causes chronic breathing problems and is most often linked to smoking, though nonsmokers can develop it too, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Common symptoms include shortness of breath, frequent coughing, and wheezing, among others.

“My parents had both smoked over four packs of cigarettes a day starting from their early teens,” Loni once revealed, according to the New York Post. Given their struggles and losing them at a young age, Loni not only spoke out to raise awareness about the disease, she also made it a point to educate her adopted son, Quinton (whom she adopted while married to Burt Reynolds), about the dangers of smoking.

In a 2020 interview with Lifestyle With Roy Ice, she recalled having those conversations with him at a young age, hoping to deter him from picking up the habit.

Loni’s exact cause of death hasn’t been confirmed, as the illness she was battling prior to her Aug. 3, 2025, passing was never publicly disclosed. However, it’s believed that the illness may have contributed to her death.

She is survived by her daughter, Deidra Hoffman, whom she shared with her first husband, Bruce Hasselberg, and her adopted son, Quinton Reynolds. She also leaves behind two grandchildren and two step-grandchildren.