Sad news for classic TV fans. A true luminary haspassed away. Garry Marshall, perhaps best known for creating the evergreen sitcomHappy Daysdied Tuesday night in Burbank. Hesuccumbed to complicationsfrom pneumonia following a stroke.
Marshallwas 81 years old at the time of hisdeath. He was also known for bringing Neil Simon’s iconic playThe Odd Coupleto the small screen for the first time as an American sitcom. A true legend in both the world of film and television, news of his untimelydemisewas first reported on byAccess Hollywood. Cause of death was then confirmed byTMZ.
Garry Marshallwas the brother of actress/directorPenny Marshall, and was behind her first sitcomLaverne & Shirley, a spinoff ofHappy Days. He gave Penny her first big break with a bit part onHappy Daysthat later expanded into the iconic role of Laverne Defazio. Born in the Bronx, New York,Marshallbegan his career on television writing for Jack Paar’s Tonight Show.
He would go onto write for The Joey Bishop Hour and The Dick Van Dyke Show before developing his first sitcom, an adaptation ofThe Odd Couple. In the early 70s, he worked on the anthology seriesLove, American Style, where the character of Richie Cunningham was first introduced. That led directly intoHappy Days, which debuted in January of 1974 and ran for 11 seasons, ending in 1984.
During that stretch of time, he would create a vast number of other sitcoms. These included otherHappy Daysspinoffs Mork & Mindy and Joanie Loves Chachi, along with Donna Pescow’s Angie, Blansky’s Beauties, The Brian Keith Show and Hey, Landlord. The man didn’t just work behind the camera, he was also a featured actor on such shows as The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show and he played Stan Lansing on Murphy Brown. He later appeared on Brothers and Sisters and Louie. This past year, he showed up on an episode of CBS' newThe Odd Couplesitcom reboot.
Garry Marshallwas also quite the prolific movie director. He is responsible for quite a few iconic films, perhaps most notably the movie that turnedJulia Robertsinto a household name,Pretty Woman. He also directed both of Anne Hathaway’sPrincess Diariesmovies. Other hits includeThe Flamingo KidandBeaches. He also wrote the biography Wake Me When It’s Funny: How to Break into Show Business and Stay There. He issurvived byhis wife Barbara Marshall and his 3 children.
