Mary Tyler Moore, an iconic TV actress whose performances helped introduce a new era for women on TV, died Wednesday, January 25. She was 80 years old.
Moore’s longtime representative Mara Buxbaum released a statement saying, “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,” Buxbaum also said.
Moore broke into the spotlight playing Laura Petrie on “The Dick Van Dyke Show” from 1961 to 1966, which earned her two Emmys and a Golden Globe. She later became a household name when she starred in “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” playing Mary Richards, a single woman who works as a producer for a Minneapolis news station. The show ran for seven seasons, from 1970 to 1977, and she won four more Emmy awards and another Golden Globe. It became so popular that it lead to several spinoffs, sitcoms “Phyllis” and “Rhoda,” and one-hour drama “Lou Grant.”
Even though her name was most frequently associated with television, Moore also acted in theatre and movies. In 1980, she was cast as Beth Jarrett in “Ordinary People,” a role that was very different compared to the characters she played on TV. She was nominated for an Academy Award and won another Golden Globe for her performance.
In order to produce “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” to TV on CBS, Moore and her then-husband Grant Tinker formed MTM Enterprises in 1969. The company was also known for producing shows like “The Bob Newhart Show,” “Hill Street Blues,” “St. Elsewhere” and “WKRP in Cincinnati” before being bought by Fox Family Worldwide in 1991.
In addition to her showbiz career, Moore was the International Chairman for JDRF, helping to raise funds and awareness of type 1 diabetes, which she was diagnosed with in 1970. The disease left her partially blind in later years, but she remained an advocate for diabetes research and the search for a cure.
Moore died from cardiopulmonary arrest caused by pneumonia after being placed on a respirator the previous week. She is now buried at Oak Lawn Cemetery in Fairfield, Connecticut.
