Loni Anderson, whose portrayal of the quick-witted receptionist Jennifer Marlowe on the CBS sitcom “WKRP in Cincinnati” made her one of television’s most recognisable figures in the late 1970s, died on Sunday, 3 August, at a Los Angeles hospital, her publicist said. She was 79 and had been suffering from what the family described as an “acute prolonged illness.” The St. Paul, Minnesota-born actor earned two Primetime Emmy and three Golden Globe nominations during the four-season run of “WKRP in Cincinnati” from 1978 to 1982, and went on to appear in six television series, seven feature films and nearly 20 made-for-TV movies over a four-decade career. Off-screen, Anderson’s 1988 marriage to Burt Reynolds and their 1994 divorce kept her in the public eye; she later married Bob Flick, a founding member of the folk quartet the Brothers Four, in 2008. Anderson is survived by Flick, her adopted son Quinton Anderson Reynolds, daughter Deidra Hoffman, several grandchildren and step-grandchildren. A private family service will be held at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, with a public celebration of life to follow, according to the family.