Mary Tyler Moore, the beloved veteran actress who influenced a generation of female comedians via her iconic role on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, passed away today in a Connecticut hospital.
She was 80 years old.
The legendary star was admitted to the hospital this week following a lengthy battle with Diabetes. She also underwent brain surgery in 2011 and has struggled with a number of healthy problems in recent years.
In 2014, friends said Moore was suffering from heart and kidney problems and was on the verge of going blind.
Hence why she had not been spotted out in public very often.
According to TMZ, Moore was on a respirator for over week prior to her passing.
Her rep, Mara Buxbaum, issued a statement to TMZ that confirmed this tragic news:
“Today, beloved icon, Mary Tyler Moore, passed away at the age of 80 in the company of friends and her loving husband of over 33 years, Dr. S. Robert Levine.
“A groundbreaking actress, producer, and passionate advocate for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Mary will be remembered as a fearless visionary who turned the world on with her smile.”
Few women have left as indelible a mark on the entertainment industry as Moore.
She rose to fame as the character of Laura Petrie, a wife and mother on The Dick Van Dyke Show, which ran from 1961 through 1966.
In 1970, she signed on to portray Mary Richards, a news producer in Minneapolis on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. It ran for seven seasons and is considered one of the funniest, most respected and appreciated sitcoms in TV history.
Here is a look at Moore and other members of the cast from the mid-70s:
On the big screen, Moore was best known for two movies:
- 1967’s Thoroughly Modern Millie.
- 1980’s Ordinary People, for which she was nominated for Best Actress at the Academy Awards.
Moore’s most recent television credits included three episodes of That 70s Show in 2005 and an appearance on Hot in Cleveland in 2013.
In May 2011, Moore underwent elective brain surgery to remove a benign meningioma.
She was also a self-confessed alcoholic, detailing this personal struggle in a pair of memoirs.
A long-time animal rights activist, Moore worked over the years with Farm Sanctuary to raise awareness about the process involved in factory farming.
She was dedicated to the compassionate treatment of farm animals and was the co-founder of Broadway Barks, an annual animal adopt-a-thon held in New York City.
Married three times, Moore suffered a personal tragedy in 1980 when her only child, 24-year old son Richard, died from a self-inflicted shotgun wound after playing with the weapon at home.
But it was Moore’s contribution to the world of comedy that will live on forever.
She will forever be on the short list of influential stars, anchoring a television show as a woman during a time when actresses rarely received such an opportunity.
We join the TV world and entertainment world in general in sending our condolences to the friends, family members and loved ones of Mary Tyler Moore.
She was an icon. May she rest in peace.
