Legendary TV star Mary Tyler Moore passed away on Wednesday. She was 80.
Moore's longtime publicist, Mara Buxbaum, confirmed the actress' death in a statement to People: “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's statement, however, did not reveal how Moore died. It is known that she had diabetes and suffered from a few other health problems over the last few years.
In 1970, The Mary Tyler Moore Show debuted and ran until 1977. While it was a ratings hit every season that it was on, Moore decided to go out top and ended the series after its seventh season. The show was the first of its kind and paved the way for many shows and women in the entertainment industry today.
“Mary Tyler Moore must be counted, along with Lucille Ball and Carol Burnett, as one of the great comediennes of American television,” TV historian Tim Brooks previously said about her.