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Jill O’Rourke is a contributor at Talent Recap, writing news stories and recaps for shows like ‘AGT,’ ‘The Voice,’ and ‘American Idol.’ She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in English and Film Studies, and has been writing about pop culture since 2012, with previous bylines at Crushable and A Plus. Jill spends her free time binge-watching sitcoms and daydreaming about life as a hobbit

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Former Dancing with the Stars pro dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy took to Instagram Monday night to share a tribute to his Season 12 partner Kirstie Alley. The actress passed away of cancer this week at age 71.

Maksim Chmerkovksiy Honors Kirstie Alley

“My dearest Kirstie,” Chmerkovskiy started his post, which included a photo of him and Alley on DWTS. “We haven’t spoken lately and I’ll tell you everything when I finally see you, but for now I want to say that I love you very much and I wish you the most peaceful rest.”

Chmerkovskiy and Alley first danced together in Season 12 of the competition series, when they finished in second place. They later returned in Season 15 for Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars, finishing the competition in seventh place.

The dancer went on to call Alley “one of the brightest moments of my personal and professional life.” Chmerkovskiy said he was tearing up as he thought about their time together, joking that Alley would “absolutely hate” that.

“I thought you’d be around forever,” Chmerkovskiy wrote to end his post. “I wish we spoke often. Thank you for everything. I love you Kirstie Alley. RIP.”

SEE ALSO: MAKSIM CHMERKOVSKIY SHARES VIDEOS FROM UKRAINE AMID RUSSIAN INVASION

Chmerkovskiy Called Alley Out Earlier This Year

Earlier this year, the pair had a public disagreement on social media over Alley’s tweets about the war in Ukraine, which is Chmerkovskiy’s home country. As Alley wrote, “I don’t know what’s real or what is fake in this war. So I won’t be commenting. I’ll pray instead.”

“We haven’t spoken in a while, but I clearly remember being right next to you while you were organizing trucks of aid during Hurricane Sandy and I remember all that you were saying to me about situations where innocent are suffering,” Chmerkovskiy wrote on Instagram in response. “That same energy is needed right now. No one needs your prayer if you don’t know what’s real or fake.”

As the dancer wrote in his tribute post, “Some of our relationship is heavily documented. Most of it is known to select few. All of it was like a wild rollercoaster.”

Alley was known for her Emmy-winning role on the sitcom Cheers. In addition to Dancing with the Stars, the actress also competed on The Masked Singer earlier this year as Baby Mammoth.

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