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Was Suzanne Somers Religious? Inside the Late Actress’ Strong Faith and Connection to God
On October 15, 2023, Suzanne Somers’ family announced her death following her decades-long cancer battle. Throughout her life, the Three’s Company actress was dedicated to her son and stepkids, career and religious faith.
What Was Suzanne Somers’ Religion?
Suzanne grew up in an Irish-American Catholic family. Years after her mother’s death, the Knockout author penned a tribute to her and recalled memories from her upbringing.
“She believed in her faith and her Catholic religion with all her heart, and prayed for all of us to have happy lives,” Suzanne wrote on Facebook in May 2016. “As a result, my sister, my brother and myself are living lives of great passion and happiness.”
The Step by Step alum married her first husband, Bruce Somers, in 1965. That same year, they welcomed their son, Bruce Somers Jr. The pair divorced in 1968 after three years of marriage.
Throughout all of the difficult periods in her life, including multiple bouts with cancer, Suzanne strongly relied on her faith to help her move ahead.
“I have a deep relationship with God,” the TV icon once told Woman’s World. “I pray every day and receive strong messages from Him in return, many of which come from nature. Last month, a group of bighorn sheep came onto our property in the desert. It felt so holy, and now my heart fills with joy and gratitude every time I see them. That was God talking to me!”
In 2020, Suzanne took a bad fall in her home that resulted in serious injuries.
“I broke my whole right side — my neck, spine, hip, pelvis and knee,” she told Closer in April 2023. “And it’s been over a year of pain and recovery. I’m not all the way back yet, but I’m going to be OK.”
The California native leaned on her husband, Alan Hamel, and her relationship with God amid her recovery.
“It’s just been a long recovery,” Suzanne admitted. “I had to go into rehab to learn how to walk again. But I did! You know, every bad thing that happens to you is an opportunity to look for the good. I’ve learned so much about gratitude. I’ve discovered God through all this in a way that I’ve never discovered God before.”
What Happened to Suzanne Somers?
In a July 2023 Instagram post, Suzanne publicly announced the recurrence of her breast cancer.
“As you know, I had breast cancer two decades ago, and every now and then it pops up again, and I continue to bat it down,” she wrote on Instagram. “I have used the best alternative and conventional treatments to combat it. This is not new territory for me. I know how to put on my battle gear and I’m a fighter.”
One day shy of her 77th birthday, Suzanne lost her battle with the disease.
“Suzanne Somers passed away peacefully at home in the early morning hours of October 15th. She survived an aggressive form of breast cancer for over 23 years,” her longtime publicist, R. Couri Hay, said in a statement to Closer. “Suzanne was surrounded by her loving husband, Alan, her son, Bruce and her immediate family. Her family was gathered to celebrate her 77th birthday on October 16th. Instead, they will celebrate her extraordinary life, and want to thank her millions of fans and followers who loved her dearly.”
