Mary Tyler Moore Dead at 80

It's a good bet that a huge majority of Americans
think of this when they think of Mary Tyler Moore.
Image from source, MSN

Sniff. I mean, seriously, sniff. Yes, she was 80. No, we can't blame it on the 2016 Grim Reaper on Steroids. Yes, she'd been in ill health for some time, in fact living with juvenile diabetes for most of her life. But dammit, for some people, there's no such thing as a timely death.

Mary Tyler Moore is of course most well-known for her eponymous TV show in the 70s, a truly ground-breaking television show in or outside of the sitcom genre. She was a single gal in the city, never married and (gasp) past 30. She was a gay icon before the world (or even some gays) new what that meant. I read today somewhere, that Mary Richards, her character--like many gays trying to fit in--was absurdly nice and kind to a fault, had an awkward and weird dating life, had an assortment of oddballs as a "family" in the big city, away from family. Hello, that's "single gay male" for a whole lot us. And I'll be honest, even though I was just a touch too young to be a real Mary Tyler Moore Show fan, I did identify, though maybe more with sidekick Rhoda.

Moore was of course already well known as Laura Petrie, perky housewife on The Dick Van Dyke Show, by the time of MTM. And, with ex-husband Grant Tinker, formed a sizable and influential television production studio (also MTM), which aired one of my favorites of all time, WKRP in Cincinnati. She was also an an Emmy and Acadamy Award winning actress. And though she got her greatest acclaim in the 1960s and 70s, she was never too far out of the limelight, or our pop culture. She'll be missed. And will continue to turn the world on with her smile. RIP, Mare.

[Excerpt]

Legendary Actress Mary Tyler Moore Dies at 80

Mary Tyler Moore, who played TV’s first sexy housewife and then a single, career woman who could turn the world on with her smile and toss her hat in the air like no other, died on Wednesday. She was 80. . .

Read more at: MSN

the MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW INTRO by jcbsebrigh