As they reminisce on their most treasured moments with their late co-star Suzanne Somers, the cast of Step by Step acknowledges the passing of Suzanne Somers.
Patrick Duffy, Staci Keanan, Angela Watson, Christine Lakin, Christopher Castile, Jason Marsden, and Sasha Mitchell were reunited for the first time since Somers passed away in October, just a few months short of becoming 77 years old. This particular reunion took place at the 90s Con on Sunday. During their time at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford, Connecticut, the performers made the most of the chance to pay tribute to Somers and continue her legacy.
“Suzanne was a person of immense style and glamour in her real life, and she gave the most beautiful and thoughtful gifts. I will never forget [that], and I still have them,” she said. “I still have them.” According to Keanan, who is 48 years old, “She gave me a pair of Prada cashmere tights for Christmas one year.” “All right, so it’s for Prada. That is to say, fancy and everything else. On top of that, she said something along the lines of, “These will keep you warm.” Additionally, if you have a long skirt, you can just put them below it to keep yourself warm. It was very delightful. She is going to be missed.
In his contribution, Lakin, who is 45 years old, started by saying, “I believe that when I was a young person, I would see her on television.” I was familiar with Three’s Company since I watched a lot of repeats when I was younger. “I’m sorry, but I was unaware of Dallas.”
“Growing up with her and watching her as a woman, as a businesswoman, as someone who was a huge star who had a bright light, who was so gorgeous, who was also so down to Earth and someone I just really admired,” she said further. “She was someone that made me think as a young female in Hollywood, you can be kind and you can be generous and you can be successful and all of those things don’t have to be mutually exclusive.”
She continued by saying, “She was so kind and romantic.” “Her heart was so big, and we really miss her.”
About Watson, she remembered a moment that the two of them had shared during their time working together on the popular comedy. It was the opportunity to participate in the mother-daughter reunion pageant, in which we sang and tap danced together, that was the most memorable for me. Incredibly, that was it. “It was like the pinnacle of my professional life,” she added.
Marsden, who is 49 years old, recounted a time when he had the opportunity to “smooch” Somers that was captured on a blooper reel. He referred to her as a “lovely, amazing, human being.”
It was reported by PEOPLE in an exclusive interview that the cast of the popular television show, which aired from 1991 to 1998 and consisted of seven seasons, was going to get back together at the fan convention in January. A blended Foster-Lambert family was the focus of the series, which tracked their journey through life together.
The reunion takes place around five months after Somers passed away from breast cancer in October 2023, just one day before she would have been 77 years old. In the year 2000, she was first diagnosed.
During that time period, her publicist, R. Couri Hay, provided PEOPLE with confirmation of her passing and delivered a statement on behalf of her family. During the early morning hours of October 15th, Suzanne Somers passed away in a calm and serene manner at her home. Over the course of more than 23 years, she persevered through an aggressive type of breast cancer,” Hay added.
“Suzanne was surrounded by her loving husband Alan, her son Bruce, and her immediate family,” the statement added. “She was surrounded by her people.” When she turned 77 years old on October 16th, her family came together to celebrate her birthday. They will instead commemorate her exceptional life and use this opportunity to express their gratitude to the millions of friends and admirers who loved her deeply.
Around the time that she passed away, a number of the actress’s former co-workers and friends from Step by Step came out about the loss of their former colleague and friend.
In an emotional statement to PEOPLE, Duffy referred to the Three’s Company actress as a “dear and deep friend” at the time of her passing. He also expressed his regret that he will miss “the phone calls, the emails, the visits, and the meals and laughter” during their time together.
“I am not alone in wishing I had one more face-to-face with her and [her husband] Alan, but had we had that meeting last Friday I would still be yearning for just one more today,” he said in response. “It is the agonizing beauty of the human reality that we are at the moment.” I offer all of the courage and support that I can manage to Alan, as well as to her son Bruce and her family, and I say to her, “When the stone of your life dropped in this pond, you made quite a ripple, my friend.” I am grateful to you.”
In addition, Keanan shared with PEOPLE that the television legend was “universally adored on the set of Step by Step” and that he thought that “to know her was to love her.” She expressed her feelings by saying, “As her ‘TV daughter,’ she was extremely kind and nurturing to me.” In my opinion, she was just perfect. I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to know her, but I shall miss her.
In the meanwhile, Lakin provided a heartfelt homage on his Instagram account. The post included her description of Somers, stating that she was “the most glamorous person” she had ever seen, and that she had a “warmth and humor” that made her “real and down to earth.”
“She was an icon, yes, but she was also an inspiration in the early fight for equal pay in the entertainment industry,” Lakin wrote. “She was a little bit like a second mother to me during the formative years of my childhood.” Her friendship with Patrick Duffy was the finest in the world, and the two of them were the ones who set the stage for what was an absolutely perfect set experience.
Despite the fact that they have been known to keep in contact over the years, the cast’s presence at the 90s Entertainment Convention was the first significant reunion they had in years. The year 2018 saw the reunion of Keanan, Duffy, and Lakin for a conversation that took place on Lakin’s Worst Ever Podcast.
