Jill Jacobson, 'The New Gidget' and 'Falcon Crest' Actor, Dies at 70

Jill Jacobson, best known for her roles in "Falcon Crest," and "The New Gidget" has died at age 70.

The actor died Dec. 8 at Cedars-Sinai's Culver West Health Center following a long illness, according to Entertainment Weekly.

"We are incredibly sad to say goodbye to our beautiful, soulful, hysterically funny, elegantly raunchy client, Jill Jacobson," Jacobson's manager Ben Padua said in a statement. "Jill was a total spitfire of an actress with comedic timing straight out of a Marx Brothers' flick and Hollywood glamor right from its golden age. Jill took us on so many adventures and she was an absolute blast. Thank you, Jill. We'll see you in our dreams."

Jacobson gained recognition in 1985 for her portrayal of Erin Jones on "Falcon Crest." She appeared in 21 episodes before departing the series in 1987. Later, she made guest appearances in the Star Trek franchise, playing Vanessa in the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episode "The Royale" (1989) and Chalan Aroya in the "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" episode "Broken Link" (1996), according to the Independent.

After receiving a cancer diagnosis, Jacobson became an advocate for the American Cancer Society.

"What I went through was pretty intense. You can't function, you just can't function," she previously said of her cancer battle.

"And now I'm so grateful, I just want to keep going, I want to help people. It makes you want to help people."

Jacobson's other career highlights include roles in sitcoms such as "Who's the Boss?" and "Party Down" and "House of Usher."

According to reports, her final project is a TV show called "Merrily," which is currently under production and is set to be released next year.

"Jill's comic timing was brilliant," Caryn Richman, Jacobson's "The New Gidget" co-star said. "And her enthusiasm and love of life made our time together on set joyful."

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