Kirstie Alley Passes Away at 71: She Felt 'Blessed' & 'Lucky' to Be with Grandkids in Final Years

• "Cheers" star Kirstie Alley passed away at 71, surrounded by her two beloved adopted children.

• In recent years she became a grandma of three. Her youngest was born a few months ago.

On Monday, December 5, 2022, the world was shocked to learn that Kirstie Alley had passed away at 71. The news came from her children as they took to Alley's Instagram page and their own to announce Alley's passing.

The photo posted to Alley's and her daughter, Lillie's Instagram, was one of Alley on a bicycle. She smiled happily into the camera, and alongside it was the caption mentioning that she had passed on.

A similar announcement was shared on Twitter, but in this announcement, it was a screenshot of the words used in the Instagram caption. Fans and costars flooded the comments section with words of love and admiration for

.

Her children announced that she had passed away peacefully with her family by her side after fighting a short battle with cancer. Her adopted children said that she was an "incredible, fierce, and loving mother."

The actress adopted two children with her ex-husband, Parker Stevenson, and they thanked Alley's team of doctors who made their mother's experience in her last days a little more pleasant.

Soon after her children announced her death, Alley's friends, family, costars, and fans began sharing their thoughts on losing her. Many talked about what an incredible impact she had made on their lives.

How Did Kirstie's Grandchildren Become Her Reason to Live?

Before her death, Alley was a grandmother of three and thrived most when she was around her family. She often spoke about what it meant for her to be a grandmother and how much she loved her grandchildren.

Her first grandchild was born in June 2016. Alley took to social media to announce that her son had a son, whom he named Waylon Tripp Parker. The post consisted of a photo of Alley's son and grandson napping together.

Two months after the young man was born, Alley took to Twitter to share a photo of her grandson wearing a diaper that appeared to cover most of his body. Alley jokingly addressed her son in the tweet, saying that Waylon needed smaller diapers.

She often shared photos of Waylon on social media, and on Christmas in 2016, she shared a photo of herself and her whole family celebrating the holiday. She quipped that she never got out of her pajamas.

Since her first grandchild in 2016, Alley became a grandma twice more, with her youngest grandchild being born just last year. She often shared photos of herself and her family enjoying one another's company.

Although she enjoyed showing the world her grandchildren, she was aware of the toll it could take on her family when the public insulted them, so she kept her wits about her when she shared photos of them. She shared a picture of her granddaughter saying:

"We live for THESE … we fight for THESE … children are our future."

Her youngest grandchild is only a few months old and will never get to spend time with her grandmother. One thing is for sure; Alley was besotted with her children and her grandchildren. Alley said she felt "blessed" and "lucky" to be a grandmother.

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