Scientology, political views, a love confession - Kristie Alley beyond the Hollywood glamour
The family of Hollywood actress Kristie Alley announced her tragic death yesterday after a short battle with colon cancer. She was 71.
In her family’s statement issued by her children, True and Lillie Parker, it was stated that Alley had received treatment at Moffitt Cancer Centre in Tampa, Florida prior to her passing.
"She was surrounded by her closest family and fought with great strength, leaving us with a certainty of her never-ending joy of living and whatever adventures lie ahead. As iconic as she was on screen, she was an even more amazing mother and grandmother," they said in their statement.
Fellow celebrities and fans worldwide are mourning her death, as social media witnesses an outpour of heartfelt tributes posted on various platforms.
Several tributes garnered headlines on its own - for example, former US President Donald Trump paid a tribute to Alley on Truth Social.
“Kirstie was a great person who truly loved the USA. She will be missed!!!”, he wrote.
Meanwhile, former co-star and longtime friend John Travolta also paid tribute to the actress.
“Kirstie was one of the most special relationships I've ever had. I love you Kirstie. I know we will see each other again,” wrote Travolta on Instagram.
The “Look Who’s Talking” actress had won a string of accolades throughout her career but beyond the awards and solid performances, she has sparked numerous headlines and debates on her scientology views, political leanings and even her love confession for Travolta.
Four years ago, Alley admitted in an interview that she was madly in love with Travolta, although he was married to actress Kelly Preston, who she eventually developed a close friendship with.
Although the two women’s friendship started off rocky - Preston even confronted Alley about her feelings for Travolta - the two seemingly put their tension behind them, and bonded over their mutual love of Scientology, based on media reports.
Alley has long been dedicated to Scientology and reportedly made it to the highest level of learning, so did Preston.
Rolling Stone reported that if Scientologists can reach Operating Thetan Level VIII, they will be “cause over matter, energy, space, and time,” which translates to various superhuman abilities, including being impervious to disease.
However, both Preston and Alley both died after battling with cancer. Questions have been raised over the Church of Scientology’s role in Alley’s medical treatment but no response was reported at press time.
Scientology views aside, Alley also largely made headlines for being outspoken on her political views.
The Trump supporter actually took to Twitter to share her “formal endorsement” towards Trump back in 2016.
But due to using social media platforms to express her right-wing views and being a Trump supporter, Alley said that she was “blackballed” for it.
Alley was born in Wichita Kansas, and she dropped out of university to move to Los Angeles to work as an interior designer. She then pursued her interest in Scientology.
In 1982, she made her film debut in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and following her success in Cheers, Alley starred alongside Travolta in Look Who’s Talking.
It was in 1991 when she won her first Emmy award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Cheers.
Two years later in 1993, she took home her second Emmy for her role in David’s Mother.
More recently, her projects involved working with Jamie Lee Curtis on the satirical comedy horror, Scream Queens.
Alley had married twice, once to Bob Alley then to Parker Stevenson who she adopted children with.
