American actress and wellness entrepreneur Suzanne Somers', 76, tragically lost her 23-year-long battle to breast cancer October 15th, 2023.
Somers passed the day before her 77th birthday. A statement released by PEOPLE confirmed the Three's Company actress, was surrounded by loved ones before she went peacefully in her sleep.
“Suzanne was surrounded by her loving husband Alan, her son Bruce, and her immediate family,” the statement continued. “Her family was gathered to celebrate her 77th birthday on October 16th. Instead, they will celebrate her extraordinary life, and want to thank her millions of fans and followers who loved her dearly.”
Suzanne Somers, who as best known for playing Chrissy Snow on the television show Three's Company, got her start as a prize model on The Anniversary Game (1969) hosted by her future husband Alan Hamel. The pair have been together ever since and after nearly 5 decades together, it was revealed her husband said goodbye in this heartbreaking way.
Somers' publicist disclosed the touching and intimate way her husband Alan Hamel, 87, chose bid his soulmate farewell, on the eve of her passing. In a beautiful handwritten poem, that was an early birthday gift for his wife, Hamel showed Suzanne one last time, just how much he loved her, and it's a heartbreaking meditation on everlasting love.
Alan Hamel's Poem To Wife Suzanne
“Love, I use it every day, sometimes several times a day. I also use love to describe a great meal. I use it to express how I feel about a show on Netflix. I often use love referring to my home, my cat Gloria, to things Gloria does, to the taste of a cantaloupe I grew in my garden. I love the taste of a freshly harvested organic royal jumbo medjool date. I love biting a fig off the tree. I love watching two giant blackbirds who live nearby swooping by my window in a power dive. My daily life encompasses things and people I love and things and people I am indifferent to...”
“...I could go on ad infinitum, but you get it. What brand of love do I feel for my wife Suzanne? Can I find it in any of the above? A resounding no!!!! There is no version of the word that is applicable to Suzanne … 55 years together, 46 married and not even one hour apart for 42 of those years. Even that doesn’t do it. Even going to bed at 6 o’clock and holding hands while we sleep doesn’t do it. Staring at your beautiful face while you sleep doesn’t do it. There are no words. There are no actions. No promises. No declarations. Even the green shaded scholars of the Oxford University Press have spent 150 years and still have failed to come up with that one word. So I will call it, ‘Us,’ uniquely, magically, indescribably wonderful ‘Us.’”
Alan Hamel to his wife Suzanne Somers
In his heartfelt words Hamel says it all. When you love someone beyond words--a lifetime together is not nearly enough.
The Healing Power of Unconditional Love
We've likely encountered the saying "Love heals all wounds" in some form or another, and while it might come across as cliché, there's more profound truth to it than one might initially assume. The reality is that love possesses a remarkable capacity to mend us from the very core of our being.
The world can be a very challenging and frustrating place. When we are isolated from community, it can be incredibly difficult to weather storms on our own. It's not just a myth that love is a "great healer". In fact, studies have shown have shown that people in happy, loving relationships tend to heal from physical injuries more quickly than those who are lacking love in their lives.
While we can't definitively attribute Suzanne Somers' resilience during her battle with cancer solely to her devoted husband's love and support, the science seems to say, there's no denying that her husband's unconditional love played a role in her strength.
When love comes with no strings attached, it's like a safe haven where we're accepted and understood, flaws and all. Unconditional love doesn't always have to be romantic to be impactful. Whether it comes from dear friends or family members, it's powers are just as healing.
While love may not be the solution to all life's problems, it undeniably has the power to bring about profound transformation. Whether you're the one giving or receiving, the experience of unconditional love often proves to be life's most rewarding aspects.
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