On her Instagram page, her family shared the sad news that Alley had lost her fight with cancer.

Not long after that, her family released a lengthy statement with more details about Kirsties’ last hours alive – and it was a heartbreaking read.

Kirstie Alley became a star through her appearance on the sitcom Cheers, and throughout her career, the two-time Emmy-winning actress starred in many successful films, as well as becoming a fan favorite on Dancing With The Stars.

Kirstie Alley – early life
Her early life was a rollercoaster. She was born on January 12, 1951, in Wichita, Kansas.

She graduated from Wichita Southeast High School and attended Kansas State and Kansas Universities, where she studied drama. However, her early days were marred by drugs.

“The truth of how I escaped Kansas is being high. I was drugged out of my mind … I got in the car, and I left to go to California,” she told Parade.

“If I hadn’t been drugged out, I would never have been able to realize my dream. It sounds so stupid but to extricate myself from Wichita, Kansas really took some doing.”

“With reality shows and things like that on TV now, people probably feel a little more hopeful that they could make something of themselves. But at that time, 30 years ago, it was just like, ‘How could I possibly dare to think that I could go be a star? How could I possibly think that?’ That’s more of a Midwest thing, you’re sort of humbled, and if you’re not humbled people will humble you, like, “Well, who the hell do you think you are to move to California and be a star? I mean, come on, Kirstie,” she added.

Alley left Wichita to pursue an acting career in California. She started as an interior decorator, but the party lifestyle proved too much for her