Burt Reynolds' ex wife and former WKRP in Cincinnati star Loni Anderson has died. She was 79. "We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our dear wife, mother and grandmother," Anderson's family said in a statement to the Associated Press on Sunday, August 3, announcing her death. According to her longtime publicist, Cheryl J. Kagan, Anderson died at a Los Angeles hospital due to a "prolonged" illness, the AP reported. Us Weekly has reached out to Anderson's rep for comment. Anderson was famously married to Burt from 1988 to 1994.