How did Loni Anderson die? Veteran actress's cause of death reportedly revealed

American actress Loni Anderson's cause of death was recently revealed three weeks after she passed away. For those unfamiliar, Anderson died just two days before her 80th birthday on August 3, 2025, at a Los Angeles hospital following a "prolonged" illness.

According to her death certificate obtained by TMZ, the actress died at the age of 79 of an "extremely rare form of cancer" called metastatic uterine leiomyosarcoma.

According to the National Organization for Rare Disorders, Uterine leiomyosarcoma often starts in the uterus and may spread to "other areas of the body, especially the lungs and liver, often causing life-threatening complications."

The death of the WKRP in Cincinnati actress was confirmed by her publicist, Cheryl J. Kagan, who revealed that the actress died of an "acute prolonged illness."

"We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our dear wife, mother and grandmother," Loni's family said in a statement.

No additional contributing factors were reported in Anderson's death by the outlet.

Who has Loni Anderson been married to?

Loni Anderson first married Bruce Hasselberg in 1964. The couple shared a daughter, Deirdra, before divorcing in 1966. She later married actor Ross Bickell in 1974, who is known for his roles in Airport '77 and Major Payne. They divorced in 1981.

While working on the 1983 film Stroker Ace, she met actor Burt Reynolds. The couple tied the knot in 1988 at Reynolds' ranch in Jupiter, Florida, per People Magazine. They adopted a son, Quinton, before getting divorced in 1994.

At the reception, Reynolds called himself a "lucky man," stating:

"I'm surrounded by love and dear friends, and I married my best friend today. I feel like Cinderella. I married Prince Charming."

However, later in an interview with the outlet, Reynolds said that marrying Anderson "was a really dumb move on my part."

"I should have known that you don't marry an actress," he added.

Born on August 5, 1945, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Loni Anderson received three Golden Globe nominations and two Emmy nominations for her iconic role as Jennifer Marlowe on the sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati, which aired for four seasons on CBS, from 1978 to 1982.

In an interview with Fox News, published on May 16, 2021, she opened up about being portrayed as a s*x symbol in the series.

"I had this discussion with Ann-Margret. Will there ever be a time when our names won’t be followed by "bombshell" or "sex symbol?" It becomes a part of your name. And you know, I’d never thought I would reach that point. I was so serious. I was doing 'Fiddler on the Roof' for 53 weeks on tour. I never thought I would be Loni Anderson, sex symbol. But I embrace it. I think I was lucky enough to have been able to play so many different things and sex symbol was a part of it. I took whatever my career threw at me. So I embrace it. And my granddaughters think it’s a hoot!"

Loni is survived by musician Bob Flick, whom she married in May 2008, as well as her grandchildren Megan and McKenzie; stepson Adam; and step-grandchildren Felix and Maximilian, per the Hollywood Reporter.