Suzanne Somers died of breast cancer on Sunday, October 15, but the singer-actress went through a lot of health problems before her passing.
Somers' longtime publicist R. Couri Hay released a statement revealing that the famed "Three's Company" star passed away a day before her what would have been her 77th birthday. Her death occurred months after she and her husband, Alan Hamel, shared in interviews that her breast cancer had recurred over two decades after she was diagnosed with the dreaded disease.
Suzanne Somers' Health Problems Explored After Her Death
Somers battled cancer for five decades, starting with hyperplasia when she was in her 20s. Per UCSF Health, the health issue occurs when there is an increased cell production in an organ or normal tissue, indicating precancerous changes.
The health issue led her to take a break from "Three's Company" before she was fired from the hit sitcom series for asking for an equal salary. She told CBC Local's DJ Sixsmith that she did not make a big deal about it, which her doctors said to be a hyperplasia in the uterus.
Meanwhile, Hamel told Page Six that it was a "waiting room for cancer" as it occurred twice before her cancer battle started.
As expected, she was indeed diagnosed with skin cancer in her 30s after her doctors detected a malignant part in her back.
Her cancer battle did not end there, as she learned she had stage 2 breast cancer in 2000.
"I would say one of the greatest gifts I had was getting cancer twenty years ago," she told People. "And you don't think that the day you hear the words: 'You have cancer,' but, it was my wake up call."
READ ALSO: Suzanne Somers Cause of Death Revealed: Singer-Actress Dead at 76 a Day Before 77th Birthday
In 2020, she suffered from a fall at home, leading her to take a break from her Facebook Live shows to undergo surgery and correct the two vertebrae that were out of place following the incident.
Before her death, Somers learned that her breast cancer recurred. She revealed in an Instagram post that she restarted her battle, while Hamel assured fans that she was already clear.
Despite that, he said that they would still monitor her health as "cancer is tricky" - and it truly was as it claimed Somers' life months after it came back.
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