Suzanne Somers passed away one year ago today.
The Three’s Company was 76-years-old when she died on October 15, 2023 – one day before her 77th birthday – in California.
And to mark the one year anniversary of her death, her widower Alan Hamel has spoken with DailyMail.com.
‘Missing Suzanne is probably not a powerful enough word because for the past 55 years we didn’t even spend one hour apart, it’s heartbreaking,’ he shared with DailyMail.com.
‘Suzanne and I were so close that she said when I wasn’t in the room she would miss me and I would miss her too – even though we were in the same house. We would actually go to sleep holding each other’s hands which was so special to me,’ he said.
Alan also relayed that he feels their souls are linked. ‘Half of me is her,’ added the 88-year-old.
Suzanne Somers passed away one year ago today. The Three’s Company was 76-years-old when she died on October 15, 2023 – one day before her 77th birthday – in California. Seen in 1979
And to mark the one year anniversary of her death, her widower Alan Hamel has spoken with DailyMail.com. ‘Missing Suzanne is probably not a powerful enough word because for the past 55 years we didn’t even spend one hour apart,’ he shared with DailyMail.com. Seen in 2015
Now Alan is solo for the first time in decades. ‘Now for the first time in 55 years I’m alone; I have not lived alone much in my life – the only time was for two weeks and I hated it. I was very young and I just didn’t like it,’ he said.
But there are constant reminders of Suzanne all over the place, he shared. ‘There are photos everywhere, our kids, it helps.’
And he really appreciated that she worked hard to bring their kids together.
‘In the early years, Suzanne and I were putting our two families together,’ said the movie producer.
‘Those of you who have done this know how difficult an assignment that is. But Suzanne declared that she would put our two families together and create one magnificent family and that she did.
‘And six beautiful grandkids iced the cake. Both of us loved our children dearly. During the years she was doing television, we rarely accepted invitations to industry events and just wanted to be at home together.
‘We had a beach house in Venice and every Sunday the kitchen island was loaded with incredible food that Suzanne had made and we also invited our cherished friends to join us for the afternoon, eat great food and hang out on the beach. Life was good courtesy of Super Mom and Super Wife.
‘Suzanne did what she came to do. Suzanne said “when you’re in the next room I miss you” Wow!!! Wow!!! Wow!!! Those could have been my words.
‘One day…. Together again.
‘I keep hearing Lou Rawls singing and it makes me thing of my darling Suzanne. You’ll never find, as long as you live, Someone who loves you tender like I do, You’ll never find, no matter where you search, Someone who cares about you the way I do, Whoa, I’m not braggin’ on myself, baby, But I’m the one who loves you. You’re gonna miss my lovin’.’
‘Suzanne and I were so close that she said when I wasn’t in the room she would miss me and I would miss her too – even though we were in the same house. We would actually go to sleep holding each other’s hands which was so special to me,’ he said. Seen in 1978
Hamel has told DailyMail.com before that ‘very strange’ things are happening inside the house they shared together.
A hummingbird that came it their home.
‘This cute little hummingbird flew into the house, went to the entry way, the kitchen then the living room,’ began Alan.
In some cultures, the hummingbird is considered a symbol of resurrection and immortality. It is believed that the spirits of deceased loved ones may return in the form of a hummingbird to bring comfort and guidance to the living.
Hamel became entranced with the bird.
‘The bird was looking in the window, trying to see what was inside. Then the bird found its way in the house,’ said the former game show host.
‘It went to a large sliding glass door and tried to get out, but it became frustrated and sat down.
‘I went over to the bird and put my hand out. It then flew into my hand, which hummingbirds never do. It was so unusual. So I carried the little bird outside where it was safe.
Suzanne with John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt on Three’s Company
‘I felt like Suzanne told the bird to visit me. I know it sounds peculiar but so many people have told me that hummingbirds are signs from the beyond.’
Months earlier another hummingbird was spotted in their house.
‘It looked like the same bird because it had the same purple chest,’ Alan also told DailyMail.com.
‘The bird then fluttered about over a framed photograph of me and Suzanne. It stayed there for a while then landed atop the frame. It felt like a message from my late wife.’
Another weird thing was how the fireplace turned itself on and off.
‘We were all in the kitchen when we heard something. I walked into the living room and the fireplace was on.
‘There is no one who could have turned the gas light on. No one was there. It was on for an hour then shut itself off. Suzanne loved to have the fire on.’
Then there is her spirit at night.
‘When it is nighttime and I have settled down, I think of my wife,’ he shared. ‘I feel her presence, like she is in the bed next to me. Of course she is not, but it really does feel as if she is there looking at me in the same place she always slept.
‘I still sleep on my side, I don’t want to move over.’
This comes after he told DailyMail.com in late October that he feels the actress’ presence besides him when he is in bed.
Alan also relayed that he feels their souls are linked. ‘Half of me is her,’ he added. Seen in 2018
He also had a ‘vision’ of her.
‘I was laying on my side of the bed and I stretch my arm out like I always did when I held hands with Suzanne,’ he said at the time.
‘I was half asleep when I had a vision that she was in bed with me and turned around and looked right at me – I could feel her presence, I felt she was there. It shocked me so much that I open my eyes thinking maybe she could be there but of course she wasn’t. I feel in someway she was visiting me,’ he shared.
The producer also talked about their last road trip from Illinois to California that led them through Utah and Nevada: ‘She loved seeing all the nature,’ he offered.
And he shared that he had a ‘vision’ of his blonde bombshell wife days after she passed. ‘I was alone in bed half asleep when I reached out for her hand and I saw her looking at me. It felt like she was there,’ he shared.
The TV producer then shed light on their unique Hollywood love story, from how they met in the 1960s and fell in love on a houseboat. ‘She had an anklet with bells on it, she fit right in,’ he said of living in the hippie community of Sausalito.
And he revealed what her dying wish was: ‘She wanted me to continue to her company, to give organic product to her ‘ladies’ as she called them. She wanted her customers to have the best,’ he added.
Somers seen with her Chrissy Snow hair style in 1978
Somers with Lee Majors on the TV show The Six Million Dollar Man
As far as his vision, it happened last year.
‘It had been four nights without Suzanne by my side. Like I said we always slept side-by-side and held hands so it’s a big change for me,’ he said.
Hamel them walked through the last few days of her life.
The last two days before Suzanne died she was not alert: ‘She just laid there and didn’t move, she couldn’t do anything for herself, so I sat down next to her and I told her stories and I talked to her for many, many hours. I wasn’t sure if she could hear me or not but I was hopeful she could.’
Before she passed he gave her a kiss.
‘I kissed her as I always do, and she kissed me back. After the kiss I realized it was a real kiss which shocked me because she had not been responsive. And it was powerful and it made me think that she was there listening to me before she died and I’m happy that I spent so much time with her,’ said Alan.
Alan also revealed that he and Suzanne had discussed at length how she would pass.
‘She said she didn’t want 911 called she didn’t want be in the hospital and she didn’t want to get tubed up – she wanted to be home in a familiar environment. So we agreed that her passing would be comfortable and we would be with her cat Gloria,’ he told DailyMail.com.
He added they liked the simple life, not the flashiness of fame.
‘Suzanne and I weren’t into the glitzy showbiz parties in Hollywood and that’s why we moved out to the desert 47 years ago; we wanted to get our kids out of LA and we wanted to raise them in an environment where we could focus – Suzanne was a great mother that way, she really put the kids first.
‘When Suzanne and I first got together she said she was going to combine our two families and make it into one family and she did,’ he said. Seen in 1978
This comes after he told DailyMail.com in late October that he feels the actress’ presence besides him when he is in bed. Seen in 2017
He also had a ‘vision’ of her. ‘I was laying on my side of the bed and I stretch my arm out like I always did when I held hands with Suzanne,’ he said at the time. ‘I was half asleep when I had a vision that she was in bed with me and turned around and looked right at me – I could feel her presence, I felt she was there.’ Seen in 1978
‘When Suzanne and I first got together she said she was going to combine our two families and make it into one family and she did.
‘Now I am the beneficiary of her hard work because the children are also close to us and they’ve been out here with me nonstop helping me with the grief. I don’t know if they planned it in advance or what but they have made sure that I’m not alone and that I feel loved and that all has to do with Suzanne’s great parenting.’
He also noted that Somers battled cancer her entire adult life.
‘Suzanne had a hard life; she fought cancer since her 20s. It just never left her and I think it had to do with her childhood; she had an alcoholic father who was difficult and I don’t think that helped. She grew up with a lot of stress.’
Each time she beat it, but not this time.
‘This last time it overwhelmed her and there was no turning back,’ he said.
Suzanne’s website is SuzanneSomers.com.
He promised to keep her company going, which was her dying wish. ‘She wanted me to continue to give organic product to her ‘ladies’ as she called them. She wanted her customers to have the best,’ he added. Seen in 2016
