Photos: Actress Suzanne Somers through the years

Somers died of breast cancer at age 76

Suzanne Somers, the effervescent blonde actor best known for playing Chrissy Snow on “Three’s Company” and later becoming an entrepreneur and New York Times best-selling author, died at the age of 76.

Somers had breast cancer for over 23 years and died Sunday morning, according to her family and her longtime publicist, R. Couri Hay. Alan Hamel, her son Bruce, and other members of her immediate family were with her in Palm Springs, California.

“Her family was gathered to celebrate her 77th birthday on October 16th,” according to the statement. “Instead, they will celebrate her extraordinary life, and want to thank her millions of fans and followers who loved her dearly.”

Somers revealed on Instagram in July that her breast cancer had returned.

“Like any cancer patient, you get a pit in your stomach when you hear the words, ‘It’s back.'” “Then I put on my battle gear and go to war,” she said at the time to Entertainment Tonight. “This is familiar battleground for me and I’m very tough.”