Mary Tyler Moore, the Oscar-nominated actress best known for her roles in the television sitcoms The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Dick Van Dyke Show, has died aged 80.
Moore's longtime publicist Mara Buxbaum confirmed the sad news in a statement, "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."
The actress was reportedly suffering from a number of health issues in the weeks before her death.
Moore has been battling diabetes for many years and she underwent brain surgery in 2011.
Moore shot to fame after starring as perky suburban housewife Laura Petrie in the The Dick Van Dyke Show in the 1960s, which ran for five seasons from 1961, but it was her role in her own eponymous sitcom, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, during the 1970s for which she’s best remembered.
Playing a single, female news producer in a TV newsroom, Tyler Moore became a feminist icon: The show was the first to feature a never-married, independent career woman as its central character, and made her one of the most famous characters in television history.
Moore won seven Emmy Awards and was nominated 15 times. She was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1986.
Her performance in the film Ordinary People landed her an Oscar nomination in 1980 and she was awarded the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2012.
Hollywood paid tribute to Mary Tyler Moore on Wednesday, soon after news of her death was announced.
Ed Asner, who played Moore’s boss in the Mary Tyler Moore Show was one of the first to share his love for the actress.
#marytylermoore my heart goes out to you and your family. Know that I love you and believe in your strength.
— Ed Asner (@TheOnlyEdAsner) January 25, 2017
George Takei referenced Moore’s signature smile saying “She turned the world on with her smile".
She turned the world on with her smile. RIP, Mary Tyler Moore. You were a role model in so many ways.
— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) January 25, 2017
Denis Leary paid tribute by tweeting a touching quote: “You can’t be brave if you’ve only had wonderful things happen to you.”
"You can't be brave if you've only had wonderful things happen to you."#MaryTylerMoore
— Denis Leary (@denisleary) January 25, 2017
Parks and Recreation star Jim O’Heir posted a photo of himself with Moore. “Damn. This one hurts,” he wrote.
Damn. This one hurts. RIP #MaryTylerMoore :( #oneofthegreats #fighter pic.twitter.com/CHWUaompbq
— Jim O'Heir (@JimOHeir) January 25, 2017
Selma Blair posted a photo and wrote, “What an angel. Always was and will be. A great part of my childhood and so many people’s lives.”
What an angel. Always was and will be. A great part of my childhood and so many people's lives.… https://t.co/msBTM6VyFd
— Selma Blair (@SelmaBlair) January 25, 2017
