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Kirstie Alley had achieved ‘Thetan 8’ status in the Church of Scientology, the highest possible honor, after dedicating herself to the religion she credits with helping her kick the cocaine habit in the 1970s, before to achieve international fame.
Alley, 71, died yesterday after a brief battle with colon cancer, ironically a disease the church doesn’t quite believe in. Her children say she “recently found out” that she was sick, but that she had been receiving treatment at The Moffitt Cancer Center. in Tampa, near her Clearwater home next to Scientology headquarters.
In accordance with the laws of Scientology, which is rooted in the ideology that humans are reborn multiple times, you will now be presented with a “new life” in which you will overcome the challenges of the life you have just left behind.
A funeral has not yet been confirmed, but the church is said to be planning a memorial service at Flag Land, its Florida headquarters. Alley achieved the highest possible status in 2018 and was taken aboard the Scientology ship Freewinds to cement the change in status.
Leah Remini, a famous church defector who publicly sparred with Alley, previously estimated it could cost as much as $500,000 to reach that level of seniority in the church.
Kirstie Alley, shown in Clearwater, Florida, last year, died Monday at age 71. She was a devoted Scientologist for over 40 years.
Alley had reached the eighth dimension in Scientology, which was the highest possible. Above, a depiction of the ascension path in Scientology
Alley spoke about the church in his own magazines, on social media, and in interviews. She confronted other celebrities who had defected and said that all the negative comments about her were “bullshit.”
In an interview about it, she said: ‘Now, here I am, a shiny, fresh and calm New OT VIII… well, as calm as a thetan like me can be.
‘I am more confident than ever. And here is the great news. Now I’m completely confrontational that puts me on that damn scale of confrontation with other Scientology Freedom Fighters!’
The ship is described as “the only place” where Scientologists can reach the “top of the bridge” and gain OT 8 status (Operating Thetan 8 status).
His death is the second from cancer among the upper levels of the Church of Scientology in recent years: in 2020, Kelly Preston, the wife of John Travolta and one of Alley’s closest friends, died at age 57 after fight against breast cancer.
Scientology resists the scientifically proven facts about cancer, suggesting instead that it is the result of a “sexual disorder” in the body.
‘Cancer is not caused, never has been and never will be. It is not a mechanism caused by the external environment or some physiological activity.
“It always requires a second dynamic or sexual upheaval, such as the loss of children or some other mechanism to bring about a condition known as cancer,” Ron L. Hubbard, the founder of the church, wrote in a 1980 article in one of the journals of the church.
At the end of her battle, Alley was seeking treatment. It is not clear how long she had been suffering before turning to conventional medicine for help.
What is clear is her decades-long defense of the church, which has landed her in public spats with defectors like Remini and Mike Rinder, and critics like reporter Yashar Ali.
Alley with his good friend and co-star John Travolta, another Scientologist. Travolta joined in 1975
Alley with fellow Scientologists Tom Cruise, Travolta and his wife Kelly Preston, in 2001
Alley fought the claims of defector Leah Remini for years, describing her comments as “nonsense.”
Alley exchanged barbs with journalist Yashar Ali in 2018 on Twitter. She had tweeted about defector Paul Haggis accused of sexual assault.
‘Man you really hate this religion… What religion are you sir? Are you just curious if you wrote this bigoted crap about all religions or just this one?
‘I think it’s YOU who is really enjoying this drop as it gives you another chance to be hateful. Get on with your hateful self,” she said in a 2018 Twitter discussion with Ali.
He mourned her death Tuesday but also said Scientologists, especially leader David Miscavige, would not accept her death or sympathize with her cancer diagnosis.
After Leah Remini defected in 2013, Alley went looking for the Church.
‘First of all, I just want everyone to know that I have hundreds of friends who came into Scientology and left Scientology.
You are not rejected, you are not persecuted. All those things are nonsense.
“When you’re generalizing and when your goal is to smear and say things about a whole group… when you decide to make a blanket statement that Scientology is evil, you’re my enemy,” he told Howard Stern in a radio interview.
Alley’s relationship with the church began in the late 1970s after his cocaine addiction spiraled out of control.
In his memoirs, he wrote: ‘When I started doing Scientology, I was a drugged mess. I understood hell: depression, anxiety, addiction, failure, and loss.
Alley’s house in Clearwater, Florida, which he bought from Lisa Marie Presley in 2001.
The house is a stone’s throw from Scientology’s headquarters, Flag, in Clearwater, Florida.
The Flag Building in Clearwater, Florida. The Church is expected to hold a memorial for Alley
Among his closest friends were Scientologists John Travolta and his wife Preston. In a social media tribute to her Monday, Travolta hinted at her shared faith with her. ‘Kirstie was one of the most special relationships I’ve ever had. I love you, Kirstie. I know we’ll see each other again,’ she said.
He had consumed enough cocaine to kill several people. He was 112 pounds… We didn’t have the term in 1979, but I was a mess.’
He gave up drugs after their first meeting and spent the next forty years defending the church and its teachings.
Alley moved to Clearwater, Florida, in the early 2000s, buying a waterfront home from fellow believer Lisa Marie Presley.
He opened a literacy center based on the church’s teachings a year later and continued to defend Scientology online against detractors.
Among his closest friends were Scientologists John Travolta and his wife Preston. In a social media tribute to her Monday, Travolta hinted at her shared faith with her.
‘Kirstie was one of the most special relationships I’ve ever had. I love you, Kirstie. I know we’ll see each other again,’ she said.