Suzanne Somers is immensely missed by her 1990s TV family.
The cast of the sitcom “Step by Step” reunited March 17 at 90s Con in Hartford, Connecticut, where they reminisced about the late actor, who died last October of breast cancer at the age of 76.
Staci Keanan, who played her daughter Dana on the series, remembered her generosity.
“Suzanne gave the most beautiful, thoughtful gifts and she was a person of immense style and glamour in her real life, and I will never forget (that) and I still have them. One Christmas, she gave me a pair of Prada, cashmere tights,” she said, according to People.
“OK, so it’s Prada. You know, fancy and everything. But beyond that, she was like, ‘These will keep you warm. And even if you have a long skirt, you could just wear these underneath to keep you warm.’ (It was) so sweet. She will be missed.”
On “Step by Step,” Somers and Patrick Duffy played a couple who married and brought their children together to live under the same roof. The relationships among the very different kids was the focal point of the sitcom, which aired for seven seasons from 1991 until 1998, the first six on ABC before moving to CBS for its final one.
When “Step by Step” premiered, Somers was already an established star, thanks to her turn on “Three’s Company,” while Duffy was known for his work on “Dallas.”
Christine Lakin, who played Duffy’s daughter Al on “Step by Step,” said it was a thrill to work with Somers.
“I think watching her as a young person, (I) would see her on television,” she said, according to People. “I watched a lot of reruns growing up, so I knew ‘Three’s Company.’ I didn’t know ‘Dallas,’ sorry.”
Lakin said Somers enabled her to dream big about her own life.
“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. “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 was so sweet and loving,” she added. “Her heart was so big, and we really miss her.”
Angela Watson played Somers' daughter Karen and holds a special place in her heart for one particular scene.
“For me, it was being able to do the mother-daughter reunion pageant where we tap dance together and sang. ... That was so amazing. Like, the highlight of my career,” she said at the event, reported People.
Jason Marsden, who played Rich, the friend of Brandon Call’s J.T., said Somers was a “lovely, amazing, human being.”
The cast’s comments echo remarks Lakin made in the past.
“They were an incredible part of my childhood,” she told TODAY in 2018 about working with Somers and Duffy. “They were, honestly, two of the most genuine, very generous and incredible people. And I think it’s why I am so well-adjusted as a former child actor now.”
After Somers died in October, Lakin paid tribute to her.
“She was easily the most glamorous person I’d ever met. Her warmth and humor was what made her so real and down to earth to everyone she crossed paths with,” she wrote, in part, on Instagram along with a series of photos.
“She was a 2nd mom of sorts to me in the formative years of my childhood,” she added.
Duffy also mourned Somers' death.
“Of course I will miss the phone calls, the emails, the visits, and the meals and laughter,” Duffy wrote, in part, in his own Instagram post following her death.
“But the dialogue of deep and thoughtful, and silly and frivolous continues. My conversations with her now will be held solely through my daily Buddhist practice.”