Actress Susan Saint James Dies After Battling Pancreatic Cancer

Actress Susan Saint James died Monday after battling pancreatic cancer, a rep for the actress confirmed to People.

Saint James, best known for her roles in the TV series “Kate & Allie” and “McMillan & Wife,” was 80.

In a statement, her family remembered her as someone who was “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.”

“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 continued.

“She brought that same fire and positivity to everything that followed, and never lost it. She is survived by her husband, Dick Ebersol, her four children – Sunshine Lucas, Harmony Lucas, Charlie Ebersol and Willie Ebersol – her seven grandchildren; her sister, Mary Mercedes Dewey, as well as her beloved service dog, Lola,” the statement concluded.

She was born Susan Jane Miller, but changed her last name to Saint James. She moved to Hollywood at 20 years old to pursue an acting career.

Saint James was married to scriptwriter Richard Neubert from 1967 to 1968.

In 1971, she married makeup artist Tom Lucas. The couple had two children, daughter Sunshine and son Harmony. Lucas was also her manager until they divorced in 1977.

In 1981, while hosting “Saturday Night Live,” Saint James met NBC executive Dick Ebersol. They went on a date after a rehearsal.