Loni Anderson, an actress known for WKRP in Cincinnati, died on August 3, 2025, at a Los Angeles hospital after a prolonged illness. She was 79 and had been just a pair of days away from her 80th birthday.
Anderson had been married four times and was with her fourth husband, Bob Flick, at the time of her passing. She also had two children from previous relationships.
Her death was confirmed by her longtime publicist, Cheryl J. Kagan. In a family statement, they said, “We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our dear wife, mother and grandmother.”
Anderson is survived by her husband Bob Flick, daughter Deidra and son-in-law Charlie Hoffman, son Quinton Anderson Reynolds, and grandchildren McKenzie and Megan Hoffman. She also leaves behind stepson Adam Flick and his wife Helene, along with step-grandchildren Felix and Maximilian.
Here’s what we know more about her former spouses, from first to fourth.
First Husband: Bruce Hasselberg
Anderson’s first marriage was to Bruce Hasselberg, the son of Minnesota mayor Donald Hasselberg. They tied the knot in South Dakota in 1964.
At the time, Bruce worked as an industrial and commercial realtor for Premier Realty Co. He also served in the U.S. Navy as a petty officer. Interestingly, Loni had competed in the Miss Minnesota beauty pageant and placed as fourth runner-up—losing to Bruce’s sister.
The marriage didn’t last long. The couple divorced in 1966. Still, Anderson stayed close to Bruce’s family. In 2008, the late actress even attended the 90th birthday party of her former mother-in-law, Phyllis Hasselberg.
Second Spouse: Ross Bickell
Loni married her second hubby, Ross Bickell, on January 28, 1974.
Their marriage ended on August 20, 1981.
Years after their split, Bickell married again—this time to Deirdre Madigan in May 1993.
He is a former actor with credits in films like Airport ’77 (1977), The Fighter (2010), and The Drop (2014).
Third Marriage to Burt Reynolds and Their Adopted Son
Anderson married her third hubby, Burt Reynolds, in 1988, five years after they starred together in the 1983 comedy Stroker Ace. Their high-profile relationship became a regular tabloid story, especially during the years leading up to their divorce in 1994.
The couple adopted a son, Quinton, as an infant in 1988. Their split turned messy, with Reynolds accusing Anderson of being unfit to raise their son. Anderson, in turn, made accusations of her own.
Despite the tension, Anderson later described Quinton as “the best decision that we ever made in our entire relationship” during a 2021 tribute at Reynolds’ Hollywood grave site.
Speaking to the Associated Press, the actress recalled the chaos of their time together: “I think back to the beginning of our relationship, it was so, oh, gosh, tabloidy. We were just a spectacle all the time. And it was hard to have a relationship in that atmosphere. And somehow, we did it through many ups and downs.”
She shared more about that time in her 1995 autobiography My Life in High Heels, which she described as “the growth of a woman, a woman who survives.”
“I think if you’re going to write about yourself, you have to do it warts and all,” she said. “You may not even tell the nicest things about yourself, because you’re telling the truth.”
Fourth Husband: Bob Flick
Loni Anderson’s fourth and final husband was Bob Flick, who remained by her side until her death.
Flick is a musician and a member of the folk group Brothers Four, known for their hit song Greenfields, which reached No. 2 on the charts.
Anderson married him in 2008 at the age of 62. The two had first met in 1963 at a movie premiere in Minneapolis, when Anderson—then a young fan—was sent by a local newspaper to pose for a photo with Flick. Decades later, they used that very photo on their wedding cake.
When they finally tied the knot, it was Anderson’s son Quinton Reynolds with her ex-spouse, Burt Reynolds, who walked her down the aisle.
Loni Anderson Had Two Children
Anderson had two children—one biological and one adopted—from two different marriages.
Her daughter, Deidra Hoffman, was born during her first marriage to Bruce Hasselberg. Deidra is married and has four children of her own.
In 2014, Anderson and Deidra appeared on The Doctors, where they revealed that Deidra had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis five years earlier. Anderson shared that the diagnosis came after Deidra suffered a mini-stroke while blow-drying her hair. An MRI at the hospital confirmed she had MS.
Anderson also had a son, Quinton, whom she adopted with her third husband, Burt Reynolds, when he was an infant in 1988.
