Mary Tyler Moore, 1936-2017: TV Icon Dead at 80

Mary Tyler Moore, a television icon and pioneer, has died after being hospitalized in Connecticut. Her reps confirmed her death to The Huffington Post, saying 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.

Moore was born on Dec. 29, 1936, in Brooklyn. Her breakout role came in The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961-1966), in which she starred as Laura Petrie, the charming, whip-smart wife of Van Dyke’s comedy writer, Rob. The series launched her to fame, leading to a contract with Universal Pictures, where she filmed 1967’s Thoroughly Modern Millie, and, eventually, to her own television program: The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970-1977). The pathbreaking CBS sitcom, in which Moore’s effervescent TV news producer, Mary Richards, sparred with her curmudgeonly boss, Lou Grant (played by Ed Asner), memorably and lovingly depicted its heroine’s life as a single, thirty-something career woman, tackling issues such as equal pay for women and pre-marital sex in the process. Rightly remembered as one of the most influential series in the history of television, The Mary Tyler Moore Show won an astonishing 29 Emmy Awards during its run—a record that held for 25 years, until Frasier broke it in 2002—and spawned three spinoffs: Lou Grant, Phyllis and Rhoda.

After The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Moore went on to receive an Oscar nomination for her role in 1980’s Ordinary People, and most recently starred in Hot In Cleveland. She was also a vegetarian and an animal rights activist, fighting to protect farm animals from inhumane suffering. Diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 33, she has been a longtime proponent for research for cures. Her 2009 memoir Growing Up Again: Life, Love, and Oh Yeah, Diabetes highlights her struggle with the disease.