Susan Saint James‘ cause of death has been revealed after the Kate & Allie actor died on Oct. 26 at the age of 80.
The Emmy-winning actor died from metastatic pancreatic cancer, according to a death certificate obtained by People.
The interval between onset of the cause and her death is listed as months, according to the outlet.
4:37 Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month
Pancreatic cancer starts in the cells of the pancreas and a cancerous (malignant) tumour can grow into nearby tissue and destroy it, according to the Canadian Cancer Society.
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The organization notes that the tumour can also spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body.
Pancreatic cancer has one of the lowest survival rates of all cancers. According to the U.S. National Cancer Institute, the five-year survival rate from 2016 to 2022 was 13.7 per cent.
In Canada, an estimated 7,500 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2026 and an estimated 6,500 people will die from it, according to the Canadian Cancer Society.
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Saint James’ family announced her death in a statement on Oct. 27, saying, “She never met a stranger. Every person she met became the most important person in the room at that moment, from a fellow board member to the clerk at the shoe store, who usually walked away knowing her entire life story.”
“Her defining act: weeks after losing her youngest son, Teddy, in the November 28, 2004 plane crash, she delivered his eulogy as a note to each of her other children and her husband, giving them words to heal,” the statement continued.
“Even in the deepest grief of her life, she put everyone else first. Days after the crash she sat with Tim Russert to thank the people who had reached out and to tell them the family was okay,” her family added.
Her family said that Saint James “brought the same fire and positivity to everything that followed, and never lost it.”
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“She is survived by her husband, Dick Ebersol, her four children–Sunshine Lucas, Harmony Lucas, Charlie Ebersol and Willie Ebersol–her seven grandchildren; her sister, Mary Mercedes Dewey, as well as her beloved service dog, Lola,” the statement concluded.
The actor is best known as Sally McMillan, the wife of Rock Hudson’s San Francisco police commissioner Stewart McMillan, in the series McMillan & Wife from 1971 to 1976. She received three Emmy nominations for her role.
Saint James went on to work with Jane Curtin in the sitcom Kate & Allie, which aired from 1984 to 1989 and earned two Emmy nominations for her role of Kate.
2:12 5K run for pancreatic cancer awareness
The actor met her husband Dick Ebersol while guest hosting Saturday Night Live in 1981. He was the show’s then-executive producer and they married six weeks after meeting.
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Ebersol and Saint James had three sons together, Charlie, Willie and Teddy.
Teddy died at the age of 14 in a 2004 private plane crash that also killed the pilot and flight attendant. Ebersol and Charlie survived the crash with serious injuries.
After news of Saint James’ passing spread, Curtin shared a statement with ABC News, reflecting on the actor’s life.
“We lost a decent person today. Susan St. James was a decent person who made Kate and Allie a joy,” Curtin began.
“She juggled a really full life from the Ed Sullivan theater in between working on stage and being the Mom on set. She worked tirelessly for organizations she believed in like the Special Olympics. All the while raising children and going through the horrors of losing a child,” she added.
“Susan was my friend and working with her brought such laughter, community and family to the stage at the Ed Sullivan theater. I’ll miss her,” Curtin’s statement concluded.
Cancer continues to impact a larger number of people in Canada each year, a trend largely driven by the growing and aging population, according to a 2025 report from the Canadian Cancer Society.
According to the organization, two in five Canadians are expected to be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime, and approximately one in four are expected to die of the disease. The four most commonly diagnosed cancers are lung, breast, prostate and colorectal cancers.
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—With files from The Associated Press
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© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Source: Global News · Katie Scott
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