Mary Tyler Moore, Whose Shine Began With Dawn Of Modern TV, Dies At 80

GREENWICH, CT — Mary Tyler Moore, whose sunny smile and boundless optimism in various roles helped usher in the dawn of modern television and paved the way for female leading roles, died Wednesday at Greenwich Hospital in Connecticut.

She died at 80 years old. For many fans, though, she will forever be remembered as the young woman struggling to make it in the "big city" of Minneapolis with the help of friend Rhoda Morgenstern and under the tutelage of her boss, Lou Grant.

"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," said Mara Buxaum, Moore's longtime representative. "... Mary will be remembered as a fearless visionary who turned the world on with her smile."

Moore had battled diabetes and had other health issues recently, according to TMZ.

She starred in "The Dick Van Dyke Show" from 1961 to 1966, winning an Emmy Award for her portrayal of Laura Petrie, the wife of Van Dyke's character.

Ed Asner, who played Moore's boss Lou Grant, tweeted, "My heart goes out to you and your family. Know that I love you and believe in your strength."

She became best known, though, for her role in the sitcom titled after her name, "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," which ran from 1970 to 1977. Set at the fictional WJM news room, she portrayed a single woman on her own, working as a fragile but resilient associate producer for the news show hosted by Ted Baxter, played by Ted Knight.

She won Golden Globe awards for "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and "Mary Tyler Moore" along with another Golden Globe for the movie "Ordinary People." She also has six Primetime Emmy awards to her name along with many nominations, according to IMDB.

Michael Keaton, who had a role in the short-lived "Mary Tyler Moore Hour" tweeted that Moore, "...was a gem. She was iconic, my boss, cast mate and a friend and I will miss her."

Van Dyke said in a 2015 interview that diabetes has taken its toll on Moore and that she "isn't well at all."

She was first diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 33, and the disease had left her nearly blind during the past few years, according to the Washington Post. She also had a benign tumor removed from the lining tissue of her brain in 2011 and has reportedly suffered from heart and kidney issues.

Moore had done much charity work during her life and was currently the international chairman of JDRF, formerly known as the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Image via Bureau of Industrial Service/Wikipedia Commons