Paul Archuleta/FilmMagicThe entire world was stunned and elated to learn that actress Tanya Roberts had been falsely reported as dead, so it's easy to imagine how euphoric her longtime partner must have felt when hearing the news. As it turns out, we don't actually need to imagine it.
Lance O'Brien, the star's partner of 18 years, was participating in an interview with Inside Edition on Monday, Jan. 4 when he received a phone call from the hospital informing him that the former Bond girl and That '70s Show performer was still alive. The stunning reversal followed reports stating that she had died on Jan. 3 after a collapse in her home on Christmas Eve.
"Now you're telling me that she's alive?" a shocked Lance asked over the phone in the footage, seen below. "Oh, thank the lord, thank god."
He then told the reporter, "The hospital's telling me she's alive, and they're calling me from the ICU."
Later, an overwhelmed Lance cried heavily while exclaiming, "I'm so happy."
According to Lance, Tanya had collapsed in her home on Thursday, Dec. 24 amid problems with her liver function and was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. He said that he was unable to spend much time with her in the hospital due to coronavirus protocol, although the 65-year-old actress herself has not been diagnosed with COVID-19.
Lance visited with her on Jan. 3 and was under the impression he had seen her alive for the final time.
As for how this happened, Tanya's publicist Mike Pingel told NBC News that Lance heard from hospital staff that he should say his final goodbyes. Mike said he later received a "distraught" phone call from Lance, which led the flack to publicly announce on Jan. 3 that she had passed away.
Following the joyful news, former That '70s Show co-star Ashton Kutcher took to social media on Jan. 4 to update the show's other cast members in his typically casual way.