Kirstie Alley Tribute to Air on The Masked Singer

By Cameron Bonomolo

Wednesday's special episode of The Masked Singer will pay tribute to Kirstie Alley, who died at age 71 on December 5th after a private battle with colon cancer. The Cheers and Look Who's Talking actress made her final television appearance on Fox's reality singing competition earlier this year, participating in Season 7, The Masked Singer: The Good, The Bad, and The Cuddly. In Season 7 Episode 8, which aired on April 27th, Alley performed "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)" by Cher and "Me Too" by Meghan Trainor before she was eliminated and unmasked as Team Cuddly's Baby Mammoth mascot. 

Following the November 30th Masked Singer Season 8 finale, the series will air its Masked Singer Seasonal Sing-A-Long Spectacular! in its usual timeslot on Wednesday, December 7th, at 9 p.m. on FOX. The recently announced special will now include a card paying tribute to Alley, according to Deadline.

The November 9th episode of The Masked Singer Season 8 similarly aired a 30-second tribute video and card dedicated to the memory of Soft Serve performer and guest panelist Leslie Jordan, who died in October.

"I came on Masked Singer because about 10 years ago, I realized I always had to keep mixing my career, mixing my life up, or it was going to get really mundane. It was going to get really boring, fast," the Golden Globe and two-time Emmy-winning Alley said in a post-elimination interview that aired after her Baby Mammoth unmasking. "I guess I finally got up the nerve to do it." Below, watch what is believed to be Alley's final TV interview.

Alley's family confirmed her death in a post published to her social media on Monday, saying in a statement, "We are sad to inform you that our incredible, fierce and loving mother has passed away after a battle with cancer, only recently discovered."

The statement continued, "She was surrounded by her closest family and fought with great strength, leaving us with a certainty of her never-ending joy of living and whatever adventures lie ahead. As iconic as she was on screen, she was an even more amazing mother and grandmother. We are grateful to the incredible team of doctors and nurses at the Moffitt Cancer Center for their care. Our mother's zest and passion for life, her children, grandchildren and her many animals, not to mention her eternal joy of creating, were unparalleled and leave us inspired to live life to the fullest just as she did. We thank you for your love and prayers and ask that you respect our privacy at this difficult time."

John Travolta, who starred with Alley in the 1993 comedy Look Who's Talking and its two sequels, paid tribute to his co-star with a post on Instagram, remembering Alley as "one of the most special relationships I've ever had." More of Alley's co-stars — including cast members of Cheers and Scream Queens — took to social media to mourn the actress.

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