Susan Saint James, the star of Kate & Allie and McMillan & Wife and Wrestlemania 2 guest has passed away.
She was 80-years-old and had been battling pancreatic cancer.
“She 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,” read a statement to People Magazine.
Her family went onto say:
“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. Her defining act: weeks after losing her youngest son, Teddy, in the November 28, 2004 plane crash, 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. Days after the crash she sat with Tim Russert to thank the people who had reached out and to tell them the family was okay.”
The statement concluded: “She brought that same fire and positivity to everything that followed, and never lost it. 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.”
James starred in such films as Love at First Bite, Jigsaw and Carbon Copy but was mostly known for her television roles such as The Name of the Game, McMillan & Wife and the eighties series Kate & Allie in which she played one of two divorced mothers who decided to live together and raise their children in the same home.
Wrestling fans will also remember James for her appearance at WrestleMania 2 which was broadcast live from New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. James joined Vince McMahon in New York for Paul Orndorff vs. Magnificent Muraco, Randy Savage versus George Steele, Jake Roberts versus George Wells and Mr. T versus Roddy Piper.
Her commentary especially for the Randy Savage versus George Steele match was light-hearted and humourous, still remembered by fans to this day.
At the time Kate & Allie was a massive hit and James’ husband was Dick Ebersol, the NBC executive who helped establish Saturday Night’s Main Event.
Speaking to CT Insider in 2010 she commented briefly on her WrestleMania appearance saying: “I’m waiting to get into the Hall of Fame: I did Wrestlemania III, or II, now they’re on like XXX!”.
