00:00SNL legend Jane Curtin is honoring her late friend and co-star in a heartfelt statement
00:04shared with Page Six.
00:06She called Susan St. James a decent person and a joy who juggled a really full life as
00:12a working mom in Hollywood.
00:14She worked tirelessly for organizations she believed in, like the Special Olympics, all
00:19while raising children and going through the horrors of losing a child.
00:23Susan was my friend, and working with her brought such laughter, community, and family
00:29to the stage at the Ed Sullivan Theater.
00:31I'll miss her.
00:33The Alley to her Kate, St. James and Curtin taped their groundbreaking sitcom in front of a live
00:38studio audience at the Ed Sullivan Theater.
00:40Susan St. James, best known for her roles in the TV series Kate and Alley and Macmillan
00:45and Wife, has died.
00:47She was 80.
00:48A rep for the actress confirmed her death to People, sharing that she passed away after
00:52a battle with pancreatic cancer.
00:54In a statement shared with the outlet, her family remembered St. James as someone who
00:58was generous with her time and energy, which she valued more than money, and instinctively
01:02drawn to whoever needed lifting up.
01:05She taught her children to pause, be kind, and look out for other people.
01:09They continued,
01:10She never met a stranger.
01:12Every person she met became the most important person in the room at that moment, from a fellow
01:17board member to the clerk at the shoe store, who usually walked away knowing her entire
01:21life story.
01:22The late sitcom star born Susan Jane Miller changed her name to St. James and moved to
01:27Hollywood at 20 years old to pursue an acting career.
01:31She starred on the TV series Macmillan and Wife with Rock Hudson for five seasons until her
01:36character's death.
01:37In 1984, St. James landed her role on the sitcom Kate and Alley alongside Jane Curtin.
01:43In the series, the women play two divorced best friends who move in together with their
01:48children in tow.
02:00This is not a statement saying girls, leave the guys and go live with your best friend,
02:04St. James told People in 1984 of the show's premise.
02:07Kate and Alley didn't plan this, it's just the best solution they could think of, and
02:11their friendship sustains them.
02:13Although St. James was initially hesitant to sign on to the project, she explained how
02:17she could relate to the problems of a divorced woman.
02:20She received two more Emmy nominations before the series ended in 1989, and then took a step
02:25away from Hollywood.
02:26As for her personal life, St. James was married to scriptwriter Richard Newberg from 1967 to
02:321968.
02:33In 1971, she married makeup artist Tom Lucas.
02:36They welcomed two children, daughter Sunshine and son Harmony.
02:40Lucas was also her manager until they divorced in 1977.
02:44In 1981, while hosting Saturday Night Live, St. James met NBC executive Dick Ebersole.
02:50They went on to date after a rehearsal and quickly fell for each other.
02:53The pair wed about six weeks after meeting and welcomed three children together, Charles,
02:58William, and Edward, known as Teddy.
03:01In November 2004, a private jet carrying Ebersole, Charles and Teddy crashed in Montrose, Colorado,
03:07killing the 14-year-old Teddy.
03:09The family had been celebrating Thanksgiving in Los Angeles.
03:12Years later, she returned to the screen for some TV appearances on The Drew Carey Show,
03:17Law & Order Special Victims Unit in 2006, and Suits in 2011.
03:22In 2008, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
03:25This past August, St. James celebrated turning 80 by seeing the Doobie Brothers the night before
03:30her birthday with all of her children and grandchildren.
03:32On her actual birthday, her kids, grandkids, Ebersole, and close friends celebrated in her
03:38backyard.
03:39Her family told People that the actress gushed it was one of the best two days of her entire
03:43life.
03:44The three to出來 of her birthday, her birthday was one of the best two days after her birthday.
03:46At the beginning of her birthday, she continued to be a little bit more Todd and a little girl.
03:46Getting her full of her birthday, she was a little bit more like she had been to her birthday.
03:47She was a little bit more than a little girl, she was a little girl.
03:47She was a little girl.
03:47So before that, she would have a little girl, she talks about you, I had turned on to her
