Suzanne Somers’ husband remembers her final days

Suzanne Somers died on Sunday, one day before her 77th birthday.

Her longtime husband, Alan Hamel, spoke to NBC News on Monday and said he knew the end was near in the days leading up to her death.

Hamel (87 years old) said: “We were in bed together and her breathing was irregular, and I was talking to her for hours. There was no response except when I kissed her, she responded, and then around five in the morning.” And in the morning she disappeared.”

Although her cancer returned in July, Hamel said that just three days before her death — after spending six weeks with specialists in Chicago — she seemed to be doing better.

“She was eating, you know, taking her medication,” he said.

But he says that a few days after they returned home, things took a different turn.

“Suddenly she was no longer responsive, she was not eating, she was not taking her medication,” he said while crying. “Since I know her so well, I thought, ‘I wonder if I should call 911?’ And I knew she didn’t want to and she didn’t want to go to the hospital.”

Hamel says he sat next to her for the next few days.

“I talked to her for hours, every night, and I assumed she could hear me because her lips responded. I hope she understood what I was saying.

Adding, “I’m just kind of confused right now. Fortunately, we have a wonderful family and they’ve all been here.”

The couple met in 1969 when Hamill was hosting ABC’s “The Anniversary Game” and Somers was a model.

“I was standing with the cast and crew at a final meeting before we started filming the series and I saw this amazing woman standing across the stage and I thought I had to go there, which I did,” he said. “And I’ve never been good at taking house calls, and I’m not going to tell you about my house calls because they were just really stupid, but it worked!”

The two married in 1977 and became business partners. Hamill recalls how he immediately began advising Somers after her contract negotiations with Three’s Company failed in 1980, leading to her ouster from the hit show.

“I remember taking her by the shoulders and saying, ‘Susan, we’re going to make this work for us,’ and within a very short period of time, we had a plan,” he said. “And we brought in some people who I knew were experts and completely understood the brands.”

Despite Somers’ devastation when she left behind a show she loved, Hamel says they poured their energy into her best-selling books, a beauty line, several Las Vegas residencies, and the eventual best-selling ThighMaster.

Hamill says that although his wife had another successful TV role in the movie “Step by Step” from 1991 to 1998, her role as Chrissie Snow was special.

“She told me when I arrived [‘Three’s Company’]”Stupid blondes are annoying, you just want to stay away from them.” I want to create a dumb blonde character that I love. And if you love it, everyone will love it too. And so it was.”

Through tears, Hamel said he hoped people would remember his wife for being a good mother and helping those around her.

“We wouldn’t have this family today if it weren’t for her,” he said. “She did things that no one knew about. I could hear her on the phone talking to people and making sure everything was going to be okay. I tried to answer everyone.”

Somers is survived by her husband, a son, three granddaughters and two stepchildren. She will be buried in a private ceremony later this week.