What happened between Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Kirstie Alley? Professional dancer paid tribute to his late DWTS partner on Instagram

After creating a strong friendship in the ballroom, Dancing With The Stars partners Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Kirstie Alley had a very public feud, which created a distance between the two. However, keeping the past aside, Maksim Chmerkovskiy paid tribute to the late Kirstie Alley in an emotional Instagram post on Monday, shortly after news of the actress' death broke online.

Kirstie Alley passed away on Monday, after battling colon cancer that was discovered only recently. She was 71 years old at the time of death.

Late Kirstie Alley is survived by her children—William True, 30, and Lillie, 28—and ex-husband Parker Stevenson.

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Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Kirstie Alley appeared on DWTS season 12

Maksim and Kirstie competed in season 12 of ABC's reality dance program Dancing With The Stars in 2011 and secured second position. The pair lost the mirrorball trophy to footballer Hines Ward.

Maksim and Kirstie reunited a year later for the all-star season of DWTS. The two were eliminated, but continued to maintain their friendship until 2014, when they got involved in a very public feud.

Maksim revealed on WWHL (Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen) in 2014 that the former partners had a great relationship until recently. Maksim said:

“She stopped getting along with me. I think the world of her. I'm not judging people by their religion. I'm Jewish. I don't really believe in science fiction, whatever.”

He further added:

“Now that I'm associating with other people, that [she said] she can't be associated with, I am no longer to be spoken with.”

As per Us Weekly, Cheers star Kirstie then left a cryptic reply which included a tweet that read:

“I won't dignify any of your accusations with anything other than ADIOS. This tweet is for those of U who believe the Moon is made of cheese.”

Maksim even opened up about their falling out in 2016 and told Us Weekly that he isn't allowed to be the actress' friend anymore. Their feud reignited again in February 2022 when Kirstie tweeted about the Ukraine war:

"I don't know what's real or what is fake in this war. So I won't be commenting. I'll pray instead.”

In response, the cheoreopgrapher, who was in Ukraine at the time, called Kirstie out on Instagram. He wrote, alongside a screenshot of her tweet:

"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. That same energy is needed right now. No one needs your prayer if you don't know what's real or fake.”

However, after hearing about the demise of Kirstie, Maksim wished that they had been in touch and spoke more often.

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Kirstie Kirstie passes away at 71 after cancer fight

Kirstie Alley was a TV and movie star who was born in Kansas in 1951. Her career bloomed while playing the fictional character Rebecca Howe, a bar manager, on the sitcom Cheers in 1987.

She is also best known for her roles in Veronica's Closet and Look Who's Talking. Alley won an Emmy and a Golden Globe award for her role on the popular TV show as a pub manager and waitress.

The actress passed away with dear ones by her side. Her family released a statement about her demise.

Kirstie’s ex-husband, actor Parker Stevenson, paid his condolences, stating that he is grateful for the years they've shared together, as well as for the "incredibly beautiful" children and grandchildren that they have.