Susan Saint James, who starred opposite Rock Hudson on "McMillan & Wife" before finding sitcom success with "Kate & Allie," has died at 80.
Her representative told People magazine that the actress died Oct. 26 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
In a statement to the magazine, her family recalled Saint James 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."
"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," the statement
continued.
Saint James built a television career that spanned crime dramas and comedies, receiving eight Emmy nominations. She won in 1969 for her supporting performance in "The Name of the Game," with additional nominations for that series in 1970 and 1971. She played editorial assistant Peggy Maxwell on the NBC drama, which ran from 1968 to 1971.
Susan Saint James cause of death: What is pancreatic cancer?
Pancreatic cancer develops when cells grow uncontrollably in the pancreas, an organ that helps with digestion and blood sugar regulation, according to Mayo Clinic. The disease is rarely detected early because symptoms often do not appear until it has spread to other organs.
Susan Saint James plane crash with son remembered by family
Saint James' son Edward "Teddy" Ebersol was 14 when he died in a November 2004 plane crash during takeoff in Montrose, Colorado. The actress' husband and their son Charlie were also on the flight but survived the crash. In the statement released by the family, they recalled how Saint James continued comforting her loved ones even while grieving the death of her youngest son.
"Her defining act: weeks after losing her youngest son, Teddy, in the … 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."
Saint James is survived by her husband, television executive Dick Ebersol, four children and seven grandchildren.
Susan Saint James' career, from 'McMillan & Wife' to 'Kate & Allie'
Born Susan Jane Miller in Los Angeles, she grew up in Rockford, Illinois, and began modeling as a teenager before pursuing acting according to her Hollywood Walk of Fame biography.
Her next major television role paired her with Hudson on "McMillan & Wife," which debuted in 1971. As Sally McMillan, she helped her husband, San Francisco Police Commissioner Stewart McMillan, unravel criminal cases.
In 1984, Saint James joined Jane Curtin in "Kate & Allie," playing Kate McArdle. The CBS sitcom followed two divorced friends who shared a home and raised their children together. Saint James received lead actress Emmy nominations for the comedy in 1984 and 1985, according to the Television Academy.
She was honored with a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in June 2008.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Susan Saint James, Emmy-winning 'Kate & Allie' actress, dead at 80
