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“Kate & Allie” star Susan Saint James’ cause of death has been confirmed more than a week after her death at age 80.
The actress died Oct. 26 from metastatic pancreatic cancer, according to a death certificate obtained by People.
The outlet also reports that she died just months after receiving her diagnosis.
Saint James’ representative confirmed her death in a statement to People on Oct. 27, with her family remembering her as someone who was “generous with her time and energy, which she valued more than money, and instinctively drawn to whoever needed lifting up.”
“She taught her children to pause, be kind and look out for other people.”
The statement added that she “never met a stranger,” noting that “every person she met became the most important person in the room at that moment, from a fellow board member to the clerk at the shoe store, who usually walked away knowing her entire life story.”
“She brought that same fire and positivity to everything that followed, and never lost it,” the statement continued.
The statement concluded by listing those she leaves behind: “her husband, Dick Ebersol; her four children, Sunshine Lucas, Harmony Lucas, Charlie Ebersol and Willie Ebersol; her seven grandchildren; her sister, Mary Mercedes Dewey; as well as her beloved service dog, Lola.”
Saint James celebrated her 80th birthday in August, just months before her death.
She was seen at a birthday party at her home in Los Angeles in what would become her final photos before her death.
For the occasion, she wore a white “Spiritual Gangster” T-shirt, a floral tennis skirt and sneakers, accessorizing her look with sunglasses and a red headband.
Following her death, Saint James’ family shared more details about her milestone birthday with People, revealing that she spent it surrounded by her children and grandchildren.
The night before, she had attended a Doobie Brothers concert the night before, where the band — which Saint James toured with in the ’70s and ’80s — dedicated their song “Black Water” to her, which was her late son Teddy’s favorite song.
The celebrations continued the following day with a birthday party in the backyard of her Los Angeles home, attended by her entire family, including her husband.
According to her family, Saint James told them it was “one of the best two days of her entire life.”
Saint James was best known for her roles in “McMillan & Wife,” which she starred in alongside Rock Hudson and for which she received three Emmy nominations, and “Kate & Allie,” in which she starred alongside Jane Curtin and earned two additional nominations before the series ended in 1989.
In the wake of Saint James’ death, Curtin, 79, paid tribute to her late friend and co-star, telling Page Six in a statement, “We lost a decent person today.”
“Susan Saint James was a decent person who made ‘Kate & Allie’ a joy. She juggled a really full life from the Ed Sullivan Theater in between working on stage and being the mom on set,” her statement continued.
“She worked tirelessly for organizations she believed in, like the Special Olympics, all the while raising children and going through the horrors of losing a child,” Curtin added, referring to Saint James’ youngest child, Teddy, who died in a private jet crash at age 14 in 2004.
“Susan was my friend, and working with her brought such laughter, community and family to the stage at the Ed Sullivan Theater. I’ll miss her,” Curtin concluded.
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