Suzanne Somers' husband Alan Hamel's emotional TV tribute to his 'beautiful' wife as he speaks out
Suzanne Somers’ husband Alan Hamel has spoken out about his wife’s final moments before her death following a lengthy battle with cancer.
The Three’s Company star died aged 76 on Monday just one day before her 77th birthday.
Her husband, 87, told Today that he was grateful he was there when ‘she left us.’
‘She was heavy breathing at the very end, and I gave her a pill to relax her breathing, but it didn’t work,’ Alan said.
Suzanne Somers ‘ husband Alan Hamel has spoken out about his wife’s final moments before her death following a lengthy battle with cancer
Her husband told Today that he was grateful he was there when ‘she left us’
‘I was grateful that I was with her when she left us, and it was very peaceful and it was beautiful, and she was beautiful.
‘And we had the whole family come, and they have been here ever since. And we have been very upbeat about what’s going on.
‘There hasn’t been a grim moment. Every time I feel it coming on, I leave the room so I can be alone… but that’s life, I don’t know what else to do.’
Alan also paid tribute to the ‘amazing, amazing woman’ he was married to.
‘Aside from all of her accomplishments, she was an amazing wife and an amazing mother as well,’ he said.
‘She’s the one who pulled her family together. I didn’t do it. She did it. And she really knew what she was doing. So I will miss her.’
Just three days before her death, Somers had been with cancer specialists in Chicago and seemed to be doing better.
‘She was eating and was, you know, taking her medicine,’ Alan told NBC – but then after returning home, things took a turn for the worse.
Suzanne Somers’ husband, Alan Hamel, joins TODAY to look back at their relationship and recall their ‘beautiful’ last days together.
“We talked about this day coming, and we thought it was going to be me,” Hamel said. pic.twitter.com/Rx08Hng0Sq
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) October 17, 2023
Somers looked very much in love in the last photograph she shared of her and husband Alan, two months prior to her death on Sunday
Alan wrote her a gushing love letter the day before she passed away; pictured in 2017
Somers had an incredible love story spanning half a century with Alan. They were together for 55 years – 46 of which they were married; pictured 1978
‘All of a sudden she wasn’t responding and she wasn’t eating and she wasn’t taking her meds. As I know her so well I thought, ‘I wonder if I should call 911?’ And I knew that she wouldn’t want that and that she did not want to go to a hospital.’
The couple first met on the set of the game show series, The Anniversary Game, in 1969. Somers was a prize model and Alan was the host.
Her time on the show was brief, but their romance ignited then and continued even when she left the show.
Years later in March 1977, the couple married and purchased a home in Palm Springs, California, together.
Alan began advising Somers after failed negotiations with her Three’s Company contract in 1980 led to her being fired from the hit show.
Tributes have been pouring in from Hollywood icons far and wide following Somers’ death, including from her beloved son Bruce Somers Jr and granddaughter Violet who shared birthday wishes.
Violet, the 25-year-old fashion designer daughter of Somers’ only son Bruce and his wife Caroline, took to Instagram on Monday.
The couple did not have any children together but had blended their families into a loving and strong unit. Somers is survived by her son Bruce Somers Jr., 57, from her previous relationship (pictured)
Alan previously revealed that they never spent more than one hour apart for 42 years; pictured 1978
She shared the ‘final birthday card’ she wrote to her beloved ‘Zannie’ on October 14, just one day before she passed way at 76 on October 15, and one day before what would have been her 77th birthday.
‘Dear Zannie, “Thank you” is not enough. You’ve made me feel so loved. I know you’ll go peacefully, but I miss you already,’ Violet began.
‘I’ll miss your handwriting in thick black ink on birthday cards. And satin ribbons on gifts. I’ll miss watching you eat cake and gorge on an extra piece because you just love sweets.
‘I’ll miss hearing your voice, your singing at the dinner table. Fearless. Unstoppable. I don’t know where you’ll go, but I hope you’ll be able to sing there.’
She went on to list some of her favorite songs to sing, such as Leon Russell’s A Song For You, Ella Fitzgerald’s Someone to Watch Over Me and Ella Fitzgerald and Louie Armstrong’s Frim Fram Sauce.
‘I wish you the warmest welcome to the other realm. I’m sure there will be light, and you will follow it, and see everyone you’ve ever known,’ she said.
Violet added: ”I hope you just relax. Your legacy will remain here, and I’ll always keep you with me. I know you’ll guide me in certain moments when I need you, and in moments as a surprise
‘You’ll visit me as a yellow butterfly or anything you’d like. I know you wanted to see my babies, but I guess we each have our own plan, and it’s all just a beautiful mystery.
‘Just know we’re here, loving you. “Thank you” could never cover the gratitude. So it goes… I love you more than you know. Happy Birthday Zannie. Love, Violet.’
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