Kirstie Alley's 2 Kids: Everything to Know

Kirstie Alley was best known for her roles in Cheers and Drop Dead Gorgeous, but her favorite role was being a mom to her two kids.

The actress, who died at 71 from cancer, was a mother to two children, William True and Lillie. The siblings confirmed the death of their "incredible, fierce and loving mother" in a statement to PEOPLE.

"As iconic as she was on screen, she was an even more amazing mother and grandmother," they said, remembering her "zest and passion for life, her children, grandchildren and her many animals, not to mention her eternal joy of creating, were unparalleled and leave us inspired to live life to the fullest just as she did."

On what would have been Alley's 72nd birthday, Lillie celebrated her late mom on Instagram.

"happy birthday mama ❤️ wish you were here," she captioned four black-and-white photos of a young Alley.

Alley became a mom in 1992 when she adopted her son True (who goes by his middle name) with her then-husband, Parker Stevenson. Two years later, they became a family of four with the addition of their daughter, Lillie. Though Alley and Stevenson divorced in 1997, they continued to share joint custody of their children.

"My best quality is that I'm a good mother," Alley previously told PEOPLE in 2006.

In 2016, the actress became a first-time grandmother after True welcomed a son of his own. "When your son has a son … bliss … yes this is my secret happy news as promised … Welcome Waylon Tripp Parker," she tweeted along with a photo of True holding his newborn.

Later that year, Alley celebrated her first Christmas with her grandson, telling PEOPLE the occasion was "stupendous and exhilarating."

Here's everything to know about Kirstie Alley's two children.

William True, 31

Alley and Stevenson first became parents in 1992. The Cheers actress later discussed her fertility struggles, sharing that she had suffered a miscarriage in 1990 when she was three months pregnant. In her 2005 book, she opened up about how she struggled physically and emotionally after her pregnancy loss.

"When the baby was gone, I just didn't really get over it. Neither did my body. I so throughly convinced my body that it was still pregnant after nine months that I had milk coming from my breasts. I was still fat, I was still grieving, and I had just been told it was very possible I would never be able to have children," she wrote.

Alley and Stevenson decided to adopt, and the couple welcomed their son William True two years after their pregnancy loss.

True mainly grew up out of the spotlight, though Alley did share occasional anecdotes about her children over the years. "They are very protective of me," she told PEOPLE of True and his sister Lillie in 2006. The actress also cited her kids as one of her inspirations for getting healthy.

"My kids are always in the pool or the ocean or some lake beckoning me to come in," the Jenny Craig spokesman wrote of why she was working towards her goal of feeling more confident in a swimsuit.

When Alley famously appeared on Oprah in a bikini in 2006 to celebrate her weight loss journey, she told the host she did so with the support of her children.

"I said to my kids, 'Can I do this? Will I embarrass you?' " she recalled. "They were laughing about it."

When True was 17, he married his high school sweetheart after one year together.

"I feel good because they're really in love," Alley told Ellen DeGeneres ahead of her son's nuptials in 2010. "True's got a level head. He's a good guy. He's very monogamous and he's very sweet with her."

The actress then reflected on her own past marriages. "I was married when I was just 19 years old and that didn't work," she told DeGeneres. "Then I was married when I was 30 years old and that's when everyone said you should get married and that didn't work. So I don't think I'm an expert on the subject."

She concluded, "I think if somebody's in love and wants to be married then let them be in love and get married."

In 2016, True welcomed his first child, Waylon Tripp Parker. Alley celebrated the new arrival on Twitter, sharing several photos of the newborn. "Just GOTTA send one more..proud Gammy," she captioned one snap.

A few months later, Alley celebrated her first Christmas as a grandmother with then-six-month-old Waylon, telling PEOPLE the holiday was "amazing."

"My son and his girlfriend came to work for me for three months, so I had my grandson with me for three months and it was nothing short of stupendous and exhilarating," she said.

"When I got up in the morning, as soon as that baby was up, I was holding that baby, traipsing around with him and showing him all the Christmas lights and singing to him."

The actress also discussed the joy of watching her own son's fatherhood journey. "It's heartwarming to see your own child have a child," she said. "My son and his girlfriend are amazing parents. I couldn't have dreamt of anyone being better parents. I always knew my son would be because he loves babies, he's always loved little kids, they've always gotten along really well with him."

She added, "He's just an excellent dad, really hands-on. Both of them are just amazing."

Lillie, 29

Alley and Stevenson expanded their family again in 1994 when they adopted their daughter Lillie.

Lillie accompanied her mom to several red carpets over the years, including the premiere of Sydney White in 2007 and a charity gala in 2011.

Like her brother, Lillie mostly stayed out of the public eye while growing up. She found love at a young age with her boyfriend Nick Trela, whom she reportedly began dating at age 16, according to the Daily Mail.

When Lillie was 20, Trela was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident in L.A. in 2014. Alley's close friends John Travolta and Kelly Preston were seen attending a memorial service for Trela alongside Alley and Lillie in photographs obtained by the Daily Mail.

In 2017, Lillie celebrated Mother's Day with a sweet tribute to Alley on Instagram. "Happpy Mother's Day ❤️," she captioned a throwback snap of the mother-duo daughter.

That same year, Lillie announced her engagement to her boyfriend Chaffee Burkhart Graham on Instagram. "Yesterday the love of my life asked me to marry him. There is no one in the world I would rather spend every day with. You are my favorite and I cannot wait to call you my husband!" she wrote next to a photo of the couple kissing while she showed off her new ring.

Lillie welcomed her first child in May 2021, a son named Ripp Woodrow Graham. "You are perfect. Thank you for making me a mother 💙," she wrote on Instagram announcing his birth. One year later, she celebrated Ripp's first birthday with a sweet collage of images, including several snaps from his party.

She captioned one photo of the little boy riding a pony: "My best friend. thank you for making me a mama. i love you more and more every day."

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