Remembering Suzanne Somers: A Tribute to an Inspirational Life

Actress Suzanne Somers has sadly passed away at the age of 76 from breast cancer.

A businesswoman, an actress, and an author, just shy of her 77th birthday, Somers was best known for her roles on the sitcoms, Three’s Company and Step by Step.

The actress also debuted in American Grafitti, Zuma Beach, and She’s the Sherrif. To add, Sommers made a guest appearance on Season 20 of Dancing With the Stars.

Later in life, during her health and fitness business ventures, she gained a lot of success promoting the Thighmaster.

Anne-Marie Bennstrom, a Swedish physical medicine student, invented The ThighMaster in the 1960s. To help injured skiers strengthen their muscles, the device is a simple V-shape fitness device made of metal tubes connected with a spring-loaded hinge to create resistance, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

“I always knew it would sell… because it works,” Bennstrom told the newspaper in 1993. “You can use it all over the body… biceps, triceps, all over.”

Somers became a pitchwoman for the exercise gadget in the 1990s. She invited people to, “squeeze, squeeze your way to shapely hips and thighs,” as she demonstrated the technique herself in a classic TV commerical.

Somers and her husband, Alan Hamel, collaborated on the ad, in which the camera begins at Somers’ feet and pans up as Hamel’s voice says, “Great legs!”

What was her net worth?

Suzanne Somer’s net worth was estimated to be around $100 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

After the success of the series with her feature role in, Three’s Company, Somers demanded a salary increase from $30,000 to $150,000 to match lead actor John Ritter’s pay — as well as 10% of the series’ profits, per The Guardian.

Once her contract expired, she left the sitcom and sued ABC for $2 million in damages after stating that her reputation had been damaged, but she was awarded just $30,000.

However, most of her profit comes from the promotion of the Thighmaster.

“Well, I grew up poor, and I live a good life,” she told Dax Holt and Adam Glyn on the Hollywood Raw podcast.

Somers also wrote 25 books on a variety of topics, including bioidentical hormones, doctors who are curing cancer, and survivors speaking out against abuse. She also became a New York Times Bestselling Author.