'80s TV icon dies at 80 as family pay tribute to 'generous' star

Kate & Allie star Susan Saint James passed away on Monday, October 26, at the age of 80, as her family revealed in a heartbreaking statement. Susan had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer earlier in the year and is survived by her husband, her children and her grandchildren.

The family shared in a joint statement to People that the actress was "generous with her time and energy, which she valued more than money, and instinctively drawn to whoever needed lifting up. She taught her children to pause, be kind and look out for other people."

The statement continued: "She never met a stranger. Every person she met became the most important person in the room at that moment, from a fellow board member to the clerk at the shoe store, who usually walked away knowing her entire life story."

Susan's family then recalled the weeks following the loss of her 14-year-old son, Teddy, who died in a plane crash in November 2004.

The statement read that her "defining act" was that after losing Teddy, "she delivered his eulogy as a note to each of her other children and her husband, giving them words to heal. Even in the deepest grief of her life, she put everyone else first."

"She brought that same fire and positivity to everything that followed, and never lost it," her family added. "She is survived by her husband, Dick Ebersol, her four children – Sunshine Lucas, Harmony Lucas, Charlie Ebersol and Willie Ebersol – her seven grandchildren; her sister, Mary Mercedes Dewey, as well as her beloved service dog, Lola."

Susan Saint James' journey to Hollywood

Susan was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Illinois before moving back to LA following a brief modelling career in New York. She found success in 1968 with the TV series The Name of the Game, which nabbed her an Emmy Award, followed by a starring role in McMillan & Wife in 1971 alongside Rock Hudson.

Her next major hit was with Kate & Allie in 1984, which followed two divorced best friends who decided to live together with their families.

Susan Saint James' family ties

Susan was married three times: first to scriptwriter Richard Neubert from 1967 to 1968; then to Tom Lucas (who became her manager) from 1971 to 1977; and finally to NBC executive Dick Ebersol, whom she met on the set of Saturday Night Live and married 42 days later.

She welcomed kids Sunshine and Harmony with Tom, followed by Charles, William and Edward (Teddy) with Dick. Susan stepped back from the spotlight after Kate & Allie wrapped in 1989 to spend more time with her young children.

"The biggest part of my retirement from films and television is because my kids are at that age now where they need to be the stars of our family," she told the Baltimore Sun. 

"They don't need a mother who, when she walks in a room, they get shoved out of the way. I've had a much more pleasant life since that star has faded."

What happened to Susan Saint James' son?

Susan and her family endured unimaginable heartbreak when Teddy was killed in a plane crash in 2004 while on his way to Colorado with his father, Dick, and his brother, Charles. The grieving mother famously went on the Today show just days after losing her son to thank her fans for the overwhelming love and support her family had received in the wake of his death. 

"That was Susan, always finding a way to buoy other people in their darkest moments with empathy and advice only she could muster," her family told People in their statement.