Loni Anderson , best known for her role on the 1970s and '80s TV sitcom "WKRP in Cincinnati," has died at 79.

Anderson, who played receptionist Jennifer Marlowe on the CBS comedy about the staff of an AM radio station in Ohio, died in a Los Angeles hospital at noon PT on Sunday, Aug. 3, after "an acute prolonged illness," the actress' representative, Cheryl J. Kagan, confirmed to USA TODAY.

She was surrounded by her family, who wrote in a statement: " We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our dear wife, mother and grandmother."

Anderson earned two Primetime Emmy nominations and three Golden Globe nods for her performance as Marlowe during the four-year run of "WKRP."

Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Aug. 5, 1945, to environmental chemist Klaydon Carl Anderson and model Maxi

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