Loni Anderson says she made peace with Burt Reynolds before his death: ‘There are lots of memories there’
Stephanie Nolasco
Loni Anderson said she and her ex-husband Burt Reynolds made peace before his death with the help of their son.
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Fox News
Loni Anderson said she and her ex-husband Burt Reynolds made peace before his death with the help of their son.

“The Smokey and the Bandit” star passed away in 2018 at age 82 from a heart attack. The former couple shared a son named Quinton.

“We were friends first and friends last,” Anderson, 73, recently told Closer Weekly. “It’s time to move on.”

The “WKRP in Cincinnati” actress insisted she and Reynolds put aside the hostility they endured when the marriage came to an end for the sake of Quinton, 30.

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“We have this wonderful child together,” she said. “Having a son was a big event in our lives and so everything revolved around him.”

The former couple first met on a talk show and they would tie the knot in 1988. While they divorced in 1995, the breakup was an embarrassing public spectacle, with the pair exchanging insults in print interviews and on television shows. Reynolds finally paid her a $2 million settlement and a vacation home to settle the divorce.

Anderson admitted the public breakup was a daunting experience at the time.

“I used to say to him, ‘Why did you say that?’” she told the outlet about Reynolds’ comments about their relationship to the press. “People don’t realize that [in the worst times] we always kept in contact.”

In 1995, Anderson told the Associated Press that the marriage was far from a fairy tale.

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“There was pain,” she said at the time.

“There was some abuse,” she also alleged. “There was drug addiction, on his part. There was always me trying to save it and feeling very empowered that I thought I could. And there was great love on my part.”

According to Closer Weekly, it was Quinton who served as a peacemaker and even brought his parents together one last time before Reynolds passed away.

“We went out to dinner and [Burt] brought me flowers,” recalled Anderson. “Burt could be quiet, shy and self-deprecating. He was a bookworm and loved to read mysteries aloud to one another so that we could share them.”

Anderson added that together, they’d spend many hours guessing about the ending of those stories.

“He was a voracious reader,” she said.

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Reynolds spent the final years of his life in Florida, where he first returned in 1968 after several years in California. He bought eight acres of waterfront property in the wealthy community of Jupiter and devoted much of his later years to Quinton. He also opened the Burt Reynolds Jupiter Theater and a Burt Reynolds and Friends Museum, where he displayed his memorabilia and sometimes lectured to drama students.

Anderson said she and Quinton are currently working to build a permanent memorial for the actor.

“There are lots of memories there,” she said. “Burt’s adored. We are working on [creating] a place for people to go to remember him.”

At the time of Reynolds’ death, Anderson and Quinton said they will “miss” the late actor and “his great laugh.”

“Quinton and I are extremely touched by the tremendous outpouring of love and support from friends and family throughout the world,” Anderson said in a statement to Fox News hours after Reynolds died.

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The statement continued: “Burt was a wonderful director and actor. He was a big part of my life for 12 years and Quinton’s father for 30 years. We will miss him and his great laugh.”

Reynold’s Hollywood career skyrocketed in the ‘70s after his breakout film role as Lewis Medlock in 1972’s “Deliverance.” Reynolds went on to appear in nearly 200 films throughout his lifetime.

He received an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of adult film director Jack Horner in 1997’s “Boogie Nights.”

In June of this year, Reynolds’ pal and business partner Gene Kennedy told Fox News he had a difficult time coping with the star’s passing.

“It was tough,” Kennedy admitted. “We had an event scheduled in Las Vegas for late September or early October that we were preparing for. We were just in disbelief. I mean, he had just been to the doctor and got a clean bill of health. He was all set to go and no issues. He was also studying for the Quentin Tarantino movie that's coming out next month, and I know he was reading for that. He had just actually come to LA the month prior, also, to read with Brad Pitt on that movie, as well.”

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“And he was very excited about being able to do that,” Kennedy continued. “So it really took us all by surprise. I mean, I literally heard it on the radio and got a phone call from the family almost immediately when it happened. It took us all by surprise, and I had to pull over for a minute. I was actually on the interstate driving when I heard it, and I had to pull over for a second. I was in disbelief to what I had just heard... We all knew Burt was older. We all have our ailments, but nobody ever expected it because he was just so full of energy and so full of life. He was still doing his craft and staying busy working.”

Kennedy insisted Reynolds loved keeping busy at his age, but he wouldn’t have had it any other way.

“I'll be honest with you, I'm 50 and I had a hard time keeping up with him,” Kennedy chuckled. “He was always working and always staying up. I remember times when I would want to go take a nap and Burt's still working and doing his thing. So he was always active. And, of course, as we know, Burt, growing up, I mean, my God, he was always fit, in top shape. He remained that way all through his life. Burt has always taken really good care of himself... But the final years of his life were busy. He always received opportunities and he was happy to just work.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.