Barry Manilow Pays Tribute to ‘Sister I Never Had’ Suzanne Somers Following Her Death

Barry Manilow has paid tribute to his late friend Suzanne Somers, following her death, calling her the “sister I never had.” In a statement to ET, the beloved singer spoke fondly of the Three’s Company star, whom he’s been close with since her time on the popular ’70s sitcom. “Suzanne and I were friends for decades,” Manilow said. “She was the sister I never had and my close confidant forever. We shared triumphs and heartaches.”

“Her fame in so many fields overshadowed her real talent as one of our greatest comedic actors, a loving mother, an amazing homemaker, and one of the world’s best cooks,” Manilow went on to add. “I will miss her dearly and hope that she is now out of pain and at peace.” Notably, Somers and Manilow had been good friends for several decades and were even neighbors in Palm Springs, California.

Somers passed away on Sunday, after revealing earlier this year that she was once again fighting breast cancer. “Suzanne Somers passed away peacefully at home in the early morning hours of October 15th. She survived an aggressive form of breast cancer for over 23 years,” Somers’ friend and publicist R. Couri Hay said in a statement announcing the sad news. “Suzanne was surrounded by her loving husband Alan, her son Bruce, and her immediate family.” 

Couri went on to share that Somers’ family had originally planned to celebrate her 77th birthday on Monday, but altered their plans to spend the day honoring her memory, following her passing. “Instead, they will celebrate her extraordinary life, and want to thank her millions of fans and followers who loved her dearly,” Hay shared. “A private family burial will take place this week, with a memorial to follow next month.”

In a conversation with the Today show, Somers’ husband Alan Hamel opened up about how he has been handling her death, saying that all he can do is come to terms with the tremendous loss. “My life is going to change,” he admitted. “I don’t care one way or another, and we had talked about this day coming, and we thought it was going to be me because I’m 10 years older. If that happened she would be alone, which was a terrible conundrum, the idea of her being alone.”

While the loss of his beloved wife has been devastating, Hamel is encouraged by his happy memories of Somers. “She was an amazing, amazing woman,” he gushed. “Aside from all her accomplishments, she was an amazing wife and an amazing mother, as well. She’s the one who pulled our family together. I didn’t do it. She did it. She really knew what she was doing. So I will miss her.”