Actress Kirstie Alley’s ex-husband, Parker Stevenson, paid tribute to her after she succumbed to cancer.
On Dec. 6, Stevenson posted a throwback photo of the couple on his Instagram page and wrote a heartfelt message to Alley in the caption.
“Dear Kirstie, I am so grateful for our years together, and for the two incredibly beautiful children and now grandchildren that we have. You will be missed. With love, Parker,” he wrote.
Alley met Stevenson in a bar and, according to People, she said, “I saw him and said to my roommate, ‘For him, I would die.'”
Alley also joked about whether marriage was in the cards for the couple at the time.
“We definitely plan to get married, but we just haven’t decided if it will be to each other,” she said.
Alley and Stevenson were married for 15 years and divorced in 1997. They have two adopted children together, True Parker, 30, and Lilly Parker, 28.
On Dec. 6, Alley and Stevenson’s children announced the news of Alley’s death on her Instagram page. It was later revealed she died from colon cancer which was “only recently discovered.”
“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 wrote.
They also showed their appreciation to “the incredible team of doctors and nurses at the Moffitt Cancer Center for their care.”
“Our mother’s zest and passion for life, her children, grandchildren and her many animals, not to mention her eternal joy of creating, were unparalleled and leave us inspired to live life to the fullest just as she did,” they added.
They concluded the post thanking Alley’s fans for their “love and prayers” and asked that their privacy would be respected “at this difficult time.”
Alley was 71 years old.