Little Ritchie is on TMZ Live right now.
(first time I’ve ever turned on TMZ)
I was just reading her bio, not only was she an amazing actress, but if you look at her life story she was one strong woman, she survived a lot, bad parents, siblings dying, a child dying, and yet she kept going strong. I never realized how much she was involved with MTM productions (with her then husband Grant Tinker, I believe they kept the business partnership after they divorced), apparently she was very much a part of its success.
I think what I’ll remember most was her dealing with Ted knight’s character on the show and the vulnerability she portrayed as well, it was a funny show but it also had its own moments:)
Has anybody been able to find out why she passed away? Its heartbreaking, what an icon of our youth.
She had diabetes, and was an advocate/spokesperson for research. Her husband is a cardiac surgeon, I believe? He is a couple of decades younger. I read something about a year ago about her having dementia, but I don’t know if that was credible information… I am so sad, too.
Pneumonia that caused repiratory and cardiac arrest according to what I read.
Thanks.
I’ve probably watched the MTM show more times than anyone. I watched it when it was on in the 70’same, then when I was in grad school, I used to watch a rerun every evening while I ate dinner. When the DVDs came out, I bought them. At first only the 1st four seasons were available; later the last three came out. When my older son was about 12, we started to watch them together. We probably went through all the seasons at least three times. A few years later, my younger son was old enough to appreciate them, and we watched all the seasons at least 4 times. He actually suggested during Christmas break that we watch some episodes.
My favorite episode? The one where Phyllis discovers that her husband is having an affair. Her description of the sex life of bees was priceless.
“Hi, hi.”
She’s been quite fragile and very sick for a long time. It’s hard to believe that Mary is dead and Rhoda has brain cancer.
It was a highlight to get to downtown Minneapolis several years ago and get my pic taken next to the MTM statue of her throwing her hat in the air. Loved both of her shows, I laughed more at DVD, but found MTM had more touching moments (in between the laughter!).
I had the privilege of meeting her once, not because I’m Mr. Fancy Pants, but because I knew someone who did some work for her when she still had an apartment in NYC that she kept for when she wanted to come into the city from her house upstate. He got a call to come over when I happened to be visiting and said it was OK bring me, so off we went.
The place was amazing. Right on 5th Ave. on the Upper East Side overlooking Central Park, and each apartment in the building took up the entire floor, so the doorman let us in the elevator which opened up right to her apartment door. I thought that was pretty cool. 
She was every bit as warm and engaging as you’d imagine, and I even got a mini-tour including her office that had a shelf lined with many of her awards over the years. Sometimes you can be disappointed meeting celebrities, but her TV persona seemed to match the woman she really was. Sad to hear about this.
Loved the MTM show. The show had practically a cult following among the women at my college. We were all young and ready to turn the world on with our smiles (not to mention our intellect). And…oh, how we all wanted to live in Mary’s apartment. I’m pretty sure we all at one time or another tossed our hat into the hair and twirled around.
We used to watch her show, followed by Bob Newhart and then Carol Burnett…good Saturday nights in our household. I loved her in Ordinary People, even if her character was less than lovable
RIP MTM
I loved her furniture. She had a fabric on her Claire’s that was small squares with contrasting dot of color.mwhen I found that fabric, Gaige with blue, I used that for 2 chairs and covers for all my dining room chairs.m
Lovely persona
@abasket …I did the same. Blubbered like a baby when I heard it. Sad day…but amazing memories
As a little girl i expected to grow up to be just like Laura Petri. Thank god for MTM or I would have been stuck in the 60’s.
" Oh, Rob."
Oprah Winfrey worshiped MTM. I remember an Oprah show once where she had filmed herself doing the MTM opening (where she throws the hat). It was really funny. Oprah was talking about how much MTM had meant to her, when all of a sudden, MTM walked onto the stage. Oprah just went to pieces, sobbing really. Apparently after that, she threatened her staff with strong words about ever surprising her again because she had done the “ugly cry” on national TV. It was kind of uncomfortable because MTM was almost having to comfort Oprah.
Here it is if you are interested.
My mom loved that show, and we sometimes watched it together. As tribute, last night I rewatched the first episode of MTM on Youtube:
Thanks@nrdsb4… loved it!
I loved it too, @Nrdsb4 . Apparently Oprah broke down in tears when she heard that Mary had died:
http://people.com/tv/oprah-winfrey-cries-talking-about-mary-tyler-moore/
I loved her on both DVD and MTM. Her Mary Richards character was praised for being the first truly independent single woman on TV, but her Laura Petrie was a pioneer too. She dressed like young housewives actually did in those days - in pants!
She developed Type I Diabetes when she was appearing on the Dick Van Dyke show and lived with it for over 50 years - it’s pretty amazing that she lived as long as she did. And I was always amused by the fact that she was easily old enough to be my mother, yet her 3rd husband was younger than my husband!
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