Suzanne Somers Was an Original (and Controversial) Wellness Influencer

Since her death on Sunday, fans of Suzanne Somers have been remembering her work as an actress in TV shows Three's Company and Step by Step and the film American Graffiti, but others wellness through a more critical lens.

Before Somers died from complications stemming from breast cancer at 76, she was outspoken about her cancer diagnosis — revealing she had decided not to seek chemotherapy.

"Suzanne chose not to do chemotherapy to treat her cancer and opted for a more holistic approach," a source to the late actress revealed to the Daily Mail. "She was advised by several people to consider the more conventional approach, but she did not listen."

According to the source, "her friends and loved ones urged her to reconsider so many times during her cancer battles and at the end," but she found out that her cancer had reappeared shortly before her death, and "didn't have that long to really do anything other than accept it."

The Three's Company actress was also a long-time advocate for "bioidentical hormones" used in menopause treatment, calling them a more natural alternative than many prescription drugs.

Now, with experts worried about rampant medical misinformation spreading via social media, some are wondering whether Somers was a precursor to so-called "crunchy" influencers and weight-loss gurus — some of the content creators who reject many modern medical practices.

Despite the criticism she's received, Dr. Denise Sanderson of HCA Florida St. Lucie Hospital said that Somers willingness to talk about her diagnosis may have helped breast cancer patients in the long run.

"She may have had the same outcome either way, so it was the right outcome for her," Sanderson told WPTV. "I think independent of what you might read sometimes about doctors talking about her choices, she really helped women to be able to talk about breast cancer."