LOS ANGELES (AP) — Loni Anderson, who played a struggling radio station's empowered receptionist on the hit TV comedy "WKRP in Cincinnati," died Sunday, just days before her 80th birthday. Anderson died at a Los Angeles hospital following a prolonged illness, said her longtime publicist, Cheryl J. Kagan.

Loni Anderson -- known for her role as receptionist Jennifer in "WKRP in Cincinnati" and for her real-life marriage to late actor Burt Reynolds -- has died.

Loni Anderson was a beloved figure, on and off the WKRP airwaves. The Emmy-nominated actress, who starred as receptionist Jennifer Marlowe on the classic sitcom "WKRP in Cincinnati," died at age 79 at a Los Angeles hospital on Sunday,