Jane Curtin pays tribute to 'Kate & Allie' co-star Susan Saint James following her death
Actress Jane Curtin is mourning the death of her "Kate & Allie" co-star Susan Saint James.
Saint James died Monday, according to People, who cited a representative for the actor. She was 80.
In a statement shared with ABC News on Tuesday, Curtin reflected on Saint James' life and what it was like working with her.
"We lost a decent person today. Susan St. James was a decent person who made Kate and Allie a joy," Curtin began.
She continued, "She juggled a really full life from the Ed Sullivan theater in between working on stage and being the Mom on set. She worked tirelessly for organizations she believed in like the Special Olympics. All the while raising children and going through the horrors of losing a child."
Curtin added, "Susan was my friend and working with her brought such laughter, community and family to the stage at the Ed Sullivan theater. I’ll miss her."
Saint James and Curtin starred together on "Kate & Allie," a TV sitcom, which aired on CBS from March 19, 1984, to May 22, 1989.
The series followed two divorced, childhood friends who decide to combine households and raise their children together in New York City.
The show ran for six seasons and won three Primetime Emmys.
Saint James was also nominated in 1984 for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series for her role as Kate McArdle.
The actress got her start in acting when she was 20. She landed a seven-year contract with Universal Studios and made her television debut in the 1966 movie, "Fame is the Name of the Game."
The film became a series called "The Name of the Game" in 1968, which she starred in as Peggy Maxwell. The role earned her an Emmy Award in 1969 for outstanding continued performance by an actress in a supporting role in a series.
Saint James went on to star in other television shows and films including "McMillan & Wife," "M*A*S*H" and more.
She also starred in the 1980 comedy, "How to Beat the High Cost of Living," which was the first time she and Curtin worked together on screen.
In 2008, Saint James received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In a statement shared with People, her family remembers her as someone who was "generous with her time and energy, which she valued more than money, and instinctively drawn to whoever needed lifting up. She taught her children to pause, be kind and look out for other people."
"She never met a stranger," the statement continued. "Every person she met became the most important person in the room at that moment, from a fellow board member to the clerk at the shoe store, who usually walked away knowing her entire life story."
Outside of acting, Saint James was a wife and mother. She married television executive Dick Ebersol in 1981 and together they had three sons together: Charlie Ebersol, Willie Ebersol and Edward "Teddy" Ebersol.
She was also the mother to Sunshine Lucas and Harmony Lucas, whom she shares with her second husband, Tom Lucas.
In November 2004, Teddy was tragically killed in a Colorado plane crash. He was 14.
Saint James' family reflected on Teddy's death in its statement about her death on Monday, telling People: "Her defining act: weeks after losing her youngest son, Teddy, in the November 28, 2004 plane crash, she delivered his eulogy as a note to each of her other children and her husband, giving them words to heal. Even in the deepest grief of her life, she put everyone else first."
In the years leading up to her death, Saint James starred in several TV series and films including "Upload," "The Haunting of Bly Manor" and "Holiday Hearts."
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