The full article appeared on Fox News October 15, 2024. Click here to read the full article
For Alan Hamel, love never dies.
It’s been a year since the producer lost his wife, “Three’s Company” star Suzanne Somers. The actress passed away on Oct. 15, 2023 – just one day before her 77th birthday. She had breast cancer for over 23 years.
Hamel told Fox News Digital he’s grateful to have experienced extraordinary love with Somers.
Alan Hamel and Suzanne Somers married in 1977. They remained together until her death in 2023.
“Suzanne called her beautiful mother that day [we met] and said, ‘I have just met the man I am going to marry,” he shared. “We both knew this was real, not a flirting moment.”
“What are the odds of a big city guy from Toronto meeting a small-town girl from a blue-collar town in Northern California, falling instantly in love and spending 55 years together, 42 of which we were not apart for even one hour?” said the 88-year-old.
And when it came to bringing their families together, Hamel said they were up for the challenge.
“Those of you who have done this know how difficult an assignment that is,” he said. “But Suzanne declared that she would put our two families together and create one magnificent family – that she did. And six beautiful grandkids iced the cake.”
Hamel admitted they experienced plenty of ups and downs – but they were always determined to overcome any struggles that came their way.
VANESSA NOEL (Robin platzer/images/getty images)
Suzanne was incredibly wise and savvy for her years,” Hamel explained. “For the first few years, we fought like mad dogs, but always returned to our passionate love for one another.”
“After one of our fights, Suzanne said to me, ‘No matter how bad it gets, let’s never break up.’ And we never did,” said Hamel. “We always went to sleep every night holding hands, and in the morning, I would always awaken a few minutes before Suzanne and I would just lay there, staring at her beautiful face.”
Over the years, they became more in sync with each other, Hamel shared.
(courtesy of alan hamel)
“We were so resonant that we’d come out of our closets wearing exactly the same colors and crack up,” he recalled. “We would communicate while silent. We took a 3,000-mile drive and there were hours we’d not speak, but we knew we were thinking similar thoughts.”
Looking back, Hamel said the secret behind their decades-long marriage was surprisingly simple. The pair said “I do” in 1977 and remained together until her death.
“The other wisdom from Suzanne was that we should surrender to one another,” he revealed. “I would do what she wanted to do, and she would do what I wanted to do. [Her son] Bruce said we had a codependent relationship that actually worked.”
Dating was a big part of the couple’s daily routine.
(Gregg deguire/wireimage/getty images)
“We loved dating,” Hamel gushed. “Suzanne would get all incredible looking wearing one of her sparkling mini dresses – she had killer legs – nighttime makeup and the right color Manolos. We’d go to one of our favorite, intimate French restaurants, order a bottle of great wine, and spend the evening looking at each other and silently saying how great is the love we have. Or I’d tease her about some of her idiosyncrasies and act them out.”
Somers’ son also told Fox News Digital that the TV icon was not only a loving wife but a doting mother too. They leaned on each other as she skyrocketed to fame as Chrissy snow.
“My mother and I were only 19 years apart, so we grew up together,” Bruce explained. “Our journeys often mirrored each other. I was 11 when she started ‘Three’s Company’ and shot to stardom. We had to act cool about it in public, but privately we shared our awe and gratitude for the amazing things we were experiencing. Thank God I had her, because she always instilled in me that fame was an aspect of our lives, but did not define who we were as individuals or as a family.”
Suzanne Somers is seen here with her son Bruce Somers Jr. as she was honored … [+] SGranitz/Wireimage/getty images)
Bruce shared that Somers had shown signs she was still by his side.
“I miss her terribly, but she shows up in her own way,” said Bruce. “I talk to her all the time. Recently, I took a meditative hike in the Alps. My mother used to always say, ‘If you want to see the face of God, go into nature.’ High in the Alps, there’s only a weed here and a shrub there. However, as I talked to her on my hike, I would come around a corner and there, by itself, was a single daisy saying, ‘Hello!’ I saw my mother’s bright happy face in each one of those daisies.”
“Daisies are rare at that altitude,” he reflected. “It got to the point where I would giggle each time it happened. I know she’s always with me.”
Somers is survived by Hamel, Bruce, two stepchildren and six grandchildren.