Alan Hamel gifted Suzanne Somers a love peom wrapped in her 'favorite pink peonies' a day before she died
PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA: Television host Alan Hamel gifted a handwritten love poem to his wife, Suzanne Somers, the day before she died.
The 'Three's Company' actress died on October 15 at her home in Palm Springs, California, a day before her birthday. Somers, 76, was married to Hamel for 46 years.
R Couri Hay, Somers' longtime publicist, told PEOPLE that Hamel "gave it to her a day early and she read the poem and went to bed and later died peacefully in her sleep."
Who is Alan Hamel?
Somers met Hamel on the game show 'Anniversary Game.' They dated for almost ten years and got married in 1977.
A Canadian entertainer and producer, Hamel is famous for hosting popular daytime talk show 'The Alan Hamel Show'.
Alan Hamel's love letter to Suzanne Somers
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The poem that Hamel wrote as an early birthday present was wrapped in Somers's "favorite pink peonies."
Hamel begins the poem by saying he uses "love" daily: "LOVE I USE IT EVERY DAY, SOMETIMES SEVERAL TIMES A DAY. I USE IT AT THE END OF EMAILS TO MY LOVING FAMILY. I EVEN USE IT IN EMAILS TO CLOSE FRIENDS. I USE IT WHEN I'M LEAVING THE HOUSE."
Continuing: "THERE'S LOVE, THEN LOVE YOU AND I LOVE YOU!! THEREIN LIES SOME OF THE DIFFERENT WAYS WE USE LOVE. SOMETIMES I FEEL OBLIGED TO USE LOVE, RESPONDING TO SOMEONE WHO SIGNED LOVE IN THEIR EMAIL, WHEN I'M UNCOMFORTABLE USING LOVE BUT I USE IT ANYWAY."
"I ALSO USE LOVE TO DESCRIBE A GREAT MEAL. I USE IT TO EXPRESS HOW I FEEL ABOUT A SHOW ON NETFLIX. I OFTEN USE LOVE REFERRING TO MY HOME, MY CAT GLORIA, TO THINGS GLORIA DOES, TO THE TASTE OF A CANTALOUPE I GREW IN MY GARDEN. I LOVE THE TASTE OF A FRESHLY HARVESTED ORGANIC ROYAL JUMBO MEDJOOL DATE. I LOVE BITING A FIG OFF THE TREE. I LOVE WATCHING TWO GIANT BLACKBIRDS WHO LIVE NEARBY SWOOPING BY MY WINDOW IN A POWER DIVE. MY DAILY LIFE ENCOMPASSES THINGS AND PEOPLE I LOVE AND THINGS AND PEOPLE I AM INDIFFERENT TO."
He then writes the kind of love he has for his wife: "I COULD GO ON AD INFINITUM, BUT YOU GET IT. WHAT BRAND OF LOVE DO I FEEL FOR MY WIFE SUZANNE? CAN I FIND IT IN ANY OF THE ABOVE? A RESOUNDING NO!!!! THERE IS NO VERSION OF THE WORD THAT IS APPLICABLE TO SUZANNE AND I EVEN USE THE WORD APPLICABLE ADVISEDLY."
"THE CLOSEST VERSION IN WORDS ISN'T EVEN CLOSE. IT'S NOT EVEN A FRACTION OF A FRACTION OF A FRACTION. UNCONDITIONAL LOVE DOES NOT DO IT. I'LL TAKE A BULLET FOR YOU DOESN'T DO IT. I WEEP WHEN I THINK ABOUT MY FEELINGS FOR YOU. FEELINGS… THAT'S GETTING CLOSE, BUT NOT ALL THE WAY."
The poem says he cannot stay apart from Somers even after years of being together. "55 YEARS TOGETHER, 46 MARRIED AND NOT EVEN ONE HOUR APART FOR 42 OF THOSE YEARS," he wrote. "EVEN THAT DOESN'T DO IT. EVEN GOING TO BED AT 6 O'CLOCK AND HOLDING HANDS WHILE WE SLEEP DOESN'T DO IT. STARING AT YOUR BEAUTIFUL FACE WHILE YOU SLEEP DOESN'T DO IT."
Hamel concludes his love letter: "I'M BACK TO FEELINGS. THERE ARE NO WORDS. THERE ARE NO ACTIONS. NO PROMISES. NO DECLARATIONS. EVEN THE GREEN SHADED SCHOLARS OF THE OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS HAVE SPENT 150 YEARS AND STILL HAVE FAILED TO COME UP WITH THAT ONE WORD. SO I WILL CALL IT, 'US', UNIQUELY, MAGICALLY, INDESCRIBABLY WONDERFUL 'US.'"
Who was Suzanne Somers's ex-husband?
Somers married her first husband, Bruce Somers, in 1965.
They married while Somers was in college, where she studied with the money from a music scholarship. She got pregnant six months into her college life with Bruce's son. Their son Bruce Somers Jr was born in November 1965.
Being unhappy with their marriage, Somers began an affair with her former drama teacher. The couple split in 1968 when Bruce found out about her extramarital affair.
Hamel adopted Bruce Jr after his marriage to Somers.
Somers 'passed away peacefully' a day before her birthday
Somers was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2000. It was treated and removed; however, the cancer returned in July 2023.
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According to the late actress's publicist's statement, "Suzanne Somers passed away peacefully at home in the early morning hours of October 15. She survived an aggressive form of breast cancer for over 23 years."
The statement said, "Suzanne was surrounded by her loving husband, Alan [Hamel], her son, Bruce, and her immediate family."