Barbara Eden Remembers Late Friend Loni Anderson, Expresses Heartfelt Loneliness

Barbara Eden Remembers Late Friend Loni Anderson, Expresses Heartfelt Loneliness

Barbara Eden is in mourning following the death of her close friend Loni Anderson.

The star of “WKRP in Cincinnati” passed away on August 3 at a Los Angeles hospital after a prolonged illness. She was 79 years old.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Eden shared her deep sorrow. She stated, “I feel very lonely now that she’s not here. I miss her – I really miss her. I miss everything about Loni. She was just a very special, kind, sweet, good mother. You can’t say anything bad about her.”

Barbara Eden and Loni Anderson first crossed paths in 1981 while filming a Bob Hope special alongside Linda Evans, renowned for her role in “Dynasty.”

Unforgettable First Encounter

Eden recalled their initial encounter with humor, saying, “He was doing a big deal about the blondes in Hollywood.” She described how they were given costumes to try on in separate rooms. “They had given me white hosiery for a nurse costume. I looked at them and I thought, ‘Oh my God, how ugly.’ But I just put them on,” she laughed.

As Eden stepped out into the hallway, she encountered Anderson. “She looked at me and said, ‘You can’t wear those!’” recalled Eden, chuckling. “You’re going to change them.’ I didn’t even know her then. But we had such a good laugh later about it. And I did go and say, ‘I’ll have the skin-colored hosiery, not white!’ I think she was just really what my mother would call ‘a good egg.’”

Eden described a friendship that blossomed from that moment. “She was a friend,” said Eden. “She saw something she didn’t like and spoke up right then and there.”

The Depth of Their Friendship

According to publicist Harlan Boll, Eden had a unique bond with Anderson. “Barbara probably knew her better than most – they were really good friends,” he mentioned to Fox News Digital. “When I produced Barbara’s tribute, Loni was one of my speakers.”

Eden admired Anderson not only for her talent but also for her commitment to motherhood.

“She is still remembered for being a beautiful, kind, just wonderful human being,” Eden noted. “I’m so happy that I got to know her and that we were friends. She was just everything fun. You wouldn’t think a glamour girl like Loni would be fun. But she was fun and funny. And she was also a really good mother. Her daughter is a school principal, and her son was just adorable. I’ve met him many times. She just did a good job with everything.”

Tributes from Friends and Colleagues

Actress Morgan Fairchild echoed similar sentiments about Anderson. “Loni and I did Bob Hope specials together back in the day, and we recently did a Lifetime movie, ‘Ladies of the ’80s: A Diva’s Christmas’ together,” Fairchild told Fox News Digital. She described Anderson as “lovely, kind, always gracious, and just one of the nicest people I’ve ever had the honor of working with in all my years in the business.”

Fairchild also reflected on a joyful memory from their recent collaboration. “In our TV movie, her character ended up with a gray wig, and she looked so fabulous with the gray hair,” the actress recalled. “We all tried to convince her to go with that in real life, whenever the time came. However, she said that producers would only cast her as a blonde. She had tried to go back to her natural dark hair at one point, and they told her she had to be ‘the blonde’ to get cast.”

A Lasting Impact

“She was radiant in that gray wig, and she was a radiant soul in real life,” Fairchild added. “I am just devastated to lose her. She was such a talent and such a terrific lady. She was the sweetest person. I still can’t believe she’s gone.”

Both Eden and Fairchild were among the first to express their grief following Anderson’s passing. Eden expressed her shock and heartbreak on social media, writing, “Like many, I am absolutely stunned and heartbroken. Our friendship has spanned many years, and news like this is never easy to hear or accept. What can I say about Loni that everyone doesn’t already know? She was a real talent, with a razor-smart wit and a glowing sense of humor… but, even more than that, she had an impeccable work ethic.”

Eden emphasized Anderson’s remarkable character, saying, “Loni was a darling lady and a genuinely good person. I am truly at a loss for words… Loni, you were one in a trillion, my friend, and even a trillion more.”

Reflections on a Life in the Spotlight

In a previous interview, Anderson had shared her insights on her transition to becoming an iconic blonde actress. “I was a brunette actress in ’75,” she noted, reflecting on her journey. “So if you see old reruns, you can see the transformation of my hair. I was every color in the rainbow. I even tried to be a redhead. But the blonde thing happened because the cameraman kept telling me my hair was too dark. It absorbed the light, and it was like an ink blob.”

She described how this led to her experimenting with lighter hair colors and how it ultimately shaped her career. “When the ‘WKRP’ pilot came along, I wasn’t quite blonde,” she shared. “Hugh Wilson, who created the show, said, ‘Let’s make her look like Lana Turner and be the smartest person in the room.’ I then went to a professional hairstylist and said, ‘Make me a blonde.’ And that’s how my blondeness began.”

Anderson’s evolution in the industry was significant as she navigated perceptions of beauty and talent. “I remember I went to Grant Tinker, the head of NBC, when we did ‘WKRP’ and said, ‘I really want to do this movie. Could I do it with black hair?’ And he said, ‘No – I didn’t hire Loni Anderson to have black hair.’ I realized I had created this image.”

Though she never expected to be labeled a sex symbol, Anderson embraced the role. “I had this discussion with Ann-Margret,” she remarked. “Will there ever be a time when our names won’t be followed by ‘bombshell’ or ‘sex symbol?’ It becomes a part of your name.”

In the days after her passing, the entertainment community continues to celebrate the vibrant spirit of Loni Anderson and the lasting legacy she leaves behind.