Susan Saint James, ‘Kate & Allie’ star & Emmy winner, dies at 80

She was 80.Her cause of death is immediately unclear, but her death came in the wake of a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.In a statement released by the James family, it described her as “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."The message then added that the late actress treated each person as important, so they never felt like strangers.“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 said she instilled in her children, James, a habit of being kind to others and helping those in need.“Her defining act: weeks after losing her youngest son, Teddy, in the November 28, 2004,….

Days after the crash, she sat with [NBC News anchor] Tim Russert to thank the people who had reached out and to tell them the family was okay," the statement concluded.Beyond the eulogy, the statement highlighted James's career debut at age 20 in 1966.She later won an Emmy Award for her performance in The Name of the Game.

But after Kate & Allie ended in 1988, she largely stepped away from Hollywood.However, she occasionally appeared in several television shows over time.Meanwhile, a look into James's personal life revealed that she has been married thrice and has four children; her youngest son, Teddy, died in a plane crash in 2004.

Susan Saint James, 'Kate & Allie' star & Emmy winner, dies at 80 October 27, 2026.