Loni Anderson On How She Made Peace With Ex Burt Reynolds After Their Tumultuous Marriage

Before her passing just days shy of 80, Loni Anderson had found a quiet kind of closure —choosing grace over grudges in reflecting on her famously rocky relationship with ex-husband Burt Reynolds.

Loni Anderson of "WKRP in Cincinnati" fame died on August 3, 2025, following a prolonged illness, just days before celebrating her 80th birthday.

In a rare interview in 2019, six years prior to her death, Anderson opened up about her tumultuous marriage to Burt Reynolds and how she ultimately found peace after years of public drama and personal pain.

Though their marriage lasted only five years, the fallout from their highly publicized split echoed through the decades. Reynolds, who died in 2018 of a heart attack at 82, frequently made disparaging remarks about Anderson in the press. "I used to say to him, 'Why did you say that?'" Anderson, then 73, told Closer Weekly exclusively.

"We were friends first and friends last," she said, speaking ten months after Reynolds' passing. "It's time to move on."

Anderson and Reynolds first crossed paths in 1981 on "The Merv Griffin Show," quickly becoming one of Hollywood's most talked-about couples. In 1988, they tied the knot at a private chapel Reynolds had built on his Florida estate for the occasion.

However, their fairytale romance quickly unraveled. Their separation made tabloid headlines, with Reynolds accusing Anderson of infidelity, financial irresponsibility, and poor parenting. For years, Anderson refrained from responding publicly. But in 1995, she broke her silence, alleging that Reynolds had been physically abusive during their marriage.

Despite the bitterness of their past, Anderson later said they found common ground for the sake of their son, Quinton. Before Reynolds' death, Quinton brought his parents together for one final dinner. During the dinner, Reynolds brought Anderson flowers – a small but significant gesture that marked the end of a long and painful chapter.