Susan Saint James Grief After Teen Son's Death in Private Plane Crash Revealed — As 'Kate & Allie' Star Dies at Age 80
Susan Saint James' life changed when her family was involved in a tragic plane crash.
Oct. 27 2026, Published 7:05 p.m. ET
Legendary actress Susan Saint James was never the same after her teenage son was tragically killed in a 2004 private plane crash, Breaking Celebrity News can reveal.
The Kate & Allie star and her family are being remembered after her sudden death at age 80.
A Family Tragedy
The 'Kate & Allie' star passed away at age 80.
A rep for Saint James revealed that the actress died on Monday, Oct. 26, after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Her family released a statement honoring the Emmy winner as someone who was "generous with her time and energy, which she valued more than money, and instinctively drawn to whoever needed lifting up."
Her family said Saint James, who was married to NBC Sports head Dick Ebersol, was especially proud of their three sons, Charles, Willie, and Edward 'Teddy' Ebersol, emphasizing that she "taught her children to pause, be kind and look out for other people."
Sadly, her life was forever changed on November 28, 2004, when a private plane carrying Dick, Charles, and Teddy crashed during an attempted takeoff from Montrose Regional Airport in Colorado.
Dick and son Charles survived, but 14-year-old Teddy was killed, along with the plane's pilot and flight attendant.
Susan Saint James' 'Defining Act'
Her husband, Dick Ebersol, and two of their children were involved in a private plane crash in 2004.
Family members called Saint James stirring eulogy for her son her "defining act," adding, "She delivered his eulogy as a note to each of her other children and her husband, giving them words to heal.
"Even in the deepest grief of her life, she put everyone else first."
As Radar reported at the time, Saint James and Ebersol were flying in a private plane with sons Charlie, 21, and Teddy after watching Notre Dame play the University of Southern California in a college football game in Los Angeles. Their other son, Willie, was not with them.
The aircraft stopped in Colorado, where the family had a home, to drop off Saint James. From there, it was to head to Indiana so Charlie could return to classes at Notre Dame, where he was a senior.
But the plane crashed on takeoff. Ebersol and Charlie survived with injuries. But Teddy, a ninth grader, was thrown from the plane and crushed under its weight.
Susan Saint James Breaks Her Silence After the Loss of Her Son
Saint James was remembered as a caring and loving family member.
One month later, Saint James broke her silence on the tragedy, telling her friend Tim Russert on the Today show that she was heartbroken.
"I'm his best friend in the whole wide world for sure, because we were the two left behind,” she reflected. "They all went off to college, and Dick is so busy, so we were like buddies."
Saint James revealed that she gave up her acting career to be a full-time mom to Teddy, recalling, "I stopped [working] when I got pregnant with him."
Being the youngest, "he quietly developed this way of thinking that you would never know, except the school made him write an autobiography," continued Saint James. "We found out things we didn't know about Teddy and how much we meant to him as a family."
Susan Saint James Leaves Behind a Family Legacy
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Saint James is remembered for making every person she met feel like the 'most important' person, according. toher family.
On Tuesday, October 27, fans found out just how much Saint James mattered as well. In their statement announcing her passing, her family noted, "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."
The statement concluded, "She brought that same fire and positivity to everything that followed, and never lost it."
Saint James is survived by her husband, 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.
