Suzanne Somers, Alan Hamel reflect on 50-year romance
Couple discusses actress' new book on lessons learned in love, life and business.
Suzanne Somers died Oct. 15 after a long battle with breast cancer. She was 76, and passed just one day before her 77th birthday.
Her husband of 46 years, Alan Hamel, was by her side, and just before her death, he gave her a poem he had written in honor of her birthday. He made the choice to give it to her a day early, and the poem has since been made public.
Shared with People in its entirety, Hamel began the poem, written in all caps, with, "LOVE I USE IT EVERY DAY, SOMETIMES SEVERAL TIMES A DAY. I USE IT AT THE END OF EMAILS TO MY LOVING FAMILY. I EVEN USE IT IN EMAILS TO CLOSE FRIENDS. I USE IT WHEN I’M LEAVING THE HOUSE."
Suzanne Somers and Alan Hamel met in 1969. (Gregg DeGuire/WireImage)
"THERE’S LOVE, THEN LOVE YOU AND I LOVE YOU!! THEREIN LIES SOME OF THE DIFFERENT WAYS WE USE LOVE. SOMETIMES I FEEL OBLIGED TO USE LOVE, RESPONDING TO SOMEONE WHO SIGNED LOVE IN THEIR EMAIL, WHEN I’M UNCOMFORTABLE USING LOVE BUT I USE IT ANYWAY."
He continued, "I ALSO USE LOVE TO DESCRIBE A GREAT MEAL. I USE IT TO EXPRESS HOW I FEEL ABOUT A SHOW ON NETFLIX. I OFTEN USE LOVE REFERRING TO MY HOME, MY CAT GLORIA, TO THINGS GLORIA DOES, TO THE TASTE OF A CANTALOUPE I GREW IN MY GARDEN. I LOVE THE TASTE OF A FRESHLY HARVESTED ORGANIC ROYAL JUMBO MEDJOOL DATE. I LOVE BITING A FIG OFF THE TREE. I LOVE WATCHING TWO GIANT BLACKBIRDS WHO LIVE NEARBY SWOOPING BY MY WINDOW IN A POWER DIVE. MY DAILY LIFE ENCOMPASSES THINGS AND PEOPLE I LOVE AND THINGS AND PEOPLE I AM INDIFFERENT TO."
Suzanne Somers and husband Alan Hamel at Studio 54 circa 1978 in New York City. (Robin Platzer/IMAGES)
"I COULD GO ON AD INFINITUM, BUT YOU GET IT. WHAT BRAND OF LOVE DO I FEEL FOR MY WIFE SUZANNE? CAN I FIND IT IN ANY OF THE ABOVE? A RESOUNDING NO!!!! THERE IS NO VERSION OF THE WORD THAT IS APPLICABLE TO SUZANNE AND I EVEN USE THE WORD APPLICABLE ADVISEDLY."
"THE CLOSEST VERSION IN WORDS ISN’T EVEN CLOSE. IT’S NOT EVEN A FRACTION OF A FRACTION OF A FRACTION. UNCONDITIONAL LOVE DOES NOT DO IT. I’LL TAKE A BULLET FOR YOU DOESN’T DO IT. I WEEP WHEN I THINK ABOUT MY FEELINGS FOR YOU. FEELINGS… THAT’S GETTING CLOSE, BUT NOT ALL THE WAY."
Alan Hamel and Suzanne Somers pose for a photo together in 1994. (Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection)
He went on to describe their relationship, which spanned over several decades, writing, "55 YEARS TOGETHER, 46 MARRIED AND NOT EVEN ONE HOUR APART FOR 42 OF THOSE YEARS. EVEN THAT DOESN’T DO IT. EVEN GOING TO BED AT 6 O’CLOCK AND HOLDING HANDS WHILE WE SLEEP DOESN’T DO IT. STARING AT YOUR BEAUTIFUL FACE WHILE YOU SLEEP DOESN’T DO IT."
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The poem concluded with "I’M BACK TO FEELINGS. THERE ARE NO WORDS. THERE ARE NO ACTIONS. NO PROMISES. NO DECLARATIONS. EVEN THE GREEN SHADED SCHOLARS OF THE OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS HAVE SPENT 150 YEARS AND STILL HAVE FAILED TO COME UP WITH THAT ONE WORD. SO I WILL CALL IT, ‘US’, UNIQUELY, MAGICALLY, INDESCRIBABLY WONDERFUL ‘US.’"
Suzanne Somers and husband Alan Hamel on June 16, 2013 in Los Angeles. (SMXRF/Star Max/FilmMagic)
A representative for Somers told People that while Hamel wrote the poem for her birthday, he "gave it to her a day early and she read the poem and went to bed and later died peacefully in her sleep."
Reps for Hamel did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment about the poem
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Throughout their lengthy marriage, Somers and Hamel have been open about their deep feelings for each other. Earlier this year, she took to Instagram to share an old photo with him along with a newer one, adding the caption, "Still smiling 55 years later."
Suzanne Somers shared she was "still smiling" 55 years into her relationship with Alan Hamel. (Getty Images)
In 2021, she spoke on Heather Dubrow's podcast, gushing, "God, our relationship has always been amazing. But now that our kids are raised and it’s just me and Al, and we paid for the tuition, we paid for the weddings and helped them get their start - now it’s just us. Man, are we having fun."
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"This is a powerful chapter," she said later in the conversation. "This is the one where you are in love all the time. That’s what I feel. I’m in love all the time."
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