Kate & Allie star Susan Saint James has died aged 80 in Los Angeles, with a newly released death certificate confirming she died on 26 October from metastatic pancreatic cancer. The document records that the illness had been present for 'months'.

A death certificate obtained on 5 November lists metastatic pancreatic cancer as the cause of death and records the interval between onset and death simply as 'months'. Metastatic means the cancer had spread beyond the pancreas to other parts of the body.

A representative had earlier confirmed to People magazine that the actress had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, although no details of any treatment have been made public.

Family Pays Tribute to Kate & Allie Star

In a statement released through her representative, her family remembered Saint James as 'generous with her time and energy, which she valued more than money, and drawn to whoever needed lifting up'.

'She taught her children to pause, be kind and look out for other people,' the statement said. 'She never met a stranger.'

It added that she 'brought that same fire and positivity to everything that followed' and listed those she leaves behind, including her husband, television executive and Saturday Night Live co-creator Dick Ebersol, four children, seven grandchildren, sister Mary Mercedes Dewey and service dog Lola.

She celebrated her 80th birthday in August at her Los Angeles home, telling family the festivities, including a Doobie Brothers concert and backyard party with children and grandchildren, were 'one of the best two days of her entire life'.

Her Kate & Allie co-star Jane Curtin, 79, said: 'We lost a decent person today.' She recalled her friend juggling work, charity including Special Olympics support and 'the horrors of losing a child'.

'Susan was my friend,' Curtin added. 'I'll miss her.' Saint James's son Teddy Ebersol died aged 14 in a private plane crash in Colorado on 28 November 2004. His father, Dick Ebersol, and brother Charlie survived.

Read more

How Susan Saint James Rose to Television Fame

Born Susan Jane Miller in Los Angeles on 14 August 1946, she grew up in Rockford, Illinois, and began as a teenage model before moving into acting.

She won an Emmy in 1969 for her supporting role as Peggy Maxwell in The Name of the Game, with further nominations following in 1970 and 1971. Her breakthrough came in McMillan & Wife, playing Sally McMillan opposite Rock Hudson in the NBC crime drama, which began in 1971.

In 1984 she took the role of Kate McArdle in the CBS sitcom Kate & Allie, opposite Jane Curtin. The series, about two divorced mothers raising their children together in a shared Greenwich Village brownstone, ran until 1989 and earned Saint James two further Emmy nominations for lead actress.

After the show ended she stepped back from acting to raise her younger children in Litchfield, Connecticut, later making guest appearances in series including Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Suits. A longstanding supporter of the Special Olympics, she served on its board and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in June 2008.

What Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer Means

Metastatic, or stage 4, cancer has spread from its original site to other parts of the body. Pancreatic cancer is often diagnosed at an advanced stage, when treatment options are more limited and outcomes are generally poorer.

Pancreatic cancer may cause symptoms such as unexplained weight loss, jaundice, abdominal or back pain, fatigue and loss of appetite. These symptoms can have many causes, but unexplained or persistent changes should be assessed by a healthcare professional.

Read more