The news has deeply affected fans of the sitcom, with one person writing: “Heartfelt condolences to her family and friends. RIP sweet lady.”
Another adds, “This is so sad please rest in peace.”
A third writes: “She was an all-time favorite. She always made me smile. RIP.”
“She was great. Pretty, funny, a wonderful actress. A true legend,” agrees a fourth.
Teri Garr, the celebrated comic actress known for her roles in Young Frankenstein, Friends, and Tootsie, has died at the age of 79.
Her publicist, Heidi Schaeffer, shared that she was ‘surrounded by family and friends.’ Garr faced several health challenges in recent years, including surgery for an aneurysm in 2007.
Tributes poured in on social media, with Bridesmaids director Paul Feig calling her ‘truly one of my comedy heroes.
I couldn’t have loved her more.’ In the wake of Garr’s tragic passing, Kudrow released a statement honoring her as her on-screen mother.
Speaking to PEOPLE, the Friends star said: “Teri Garr was a comedic acting genius who was and is a huge influence on me and I know I’m not alone in that.”
“I feel so lucky and grateful I got to work with Teri Garr.”
Garr’s passion for the performing arts began early, according to the Independent. Her father, Eddie Garr, was a vaudeville comedian, while her mother, Phyllis Lind, was one of the original Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall.
She started taking dance lessons at six and joined both the San Francisco and Los Angeles ballet companies by the age of 14.
At 16, she toured with the Los Angeles production of West Side Story and began landing minor film roles by 1963.
Garr later secured steady work as a dancer in films, appearing in the chorus of nine Elvis Presley movies, including Viva Las Vegas, Roustabout, and Clambake.
Her breakout role came as Gene Hackman’s girlfriend in the 1974 thriller The Conversation, which led to an opportunity with Mel Brooks.
Brooks offered her the role of Gene Wilder’s assistant in Young Frankenstein—on the condition that she could perform a German accent.
“Cher had this German woman, Renata, making wigs, so I got the accent from her,” Garr once said.
Her performance in Young Frankenstein showcased her comedic talent, with critic Pauline Kael labeling her as ‘the funniest neurotic dizzy dame on the screen.’
In Tootsie, she played a girlfriend who loses Dustin Hoffman’s character to Jessica Lange, only to discover that he had disguised himself as a woman to revive his career.
Garr earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role, although Lange ultimately took home the award that year.
While she was widely recognized for her comedic performances, Garr also demonstrated her versatility in dramatic roles in films such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Black Stallion, and The Escape Artist.
“I would like to play Norma Rae and Sophie’s Choice,” she said, but felt she had been typecast as a comic actress.
In 1993, Garr married contractor John O’Neill, with whom she adopted a daughter, Molly. The couple divorced in 1996.
In 1983, she started to feel unusual sensations in her right leg, which eventually spread to her right arm, but she initially brushed it off.
By 1999, her symptoms had intensified, leading her to seek medical advice and receive a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.
For three years, Garr kept her condition private, concerned about its potential impact on her career.
“People hear MS and think, ‘Oh, my God, the person has two days to live,'” she said in a 2003 interview.
After revealing her condition, she became a spokesperson for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, delivering humorous speeches to audiences throughout North America.
“You have to find your center and roll with the punches because that’s a hard thing to do: to have people pity you,” she reflected in 2005. “Just trying to explain to people that I’m OK is tiresome.”
Despite her health challenges, Garr continued to act, making appearances on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Greetings From Tucson, Life With Bonnie, and in a recurring role as Phoebe’s mother on Friends during the 1990s.
Making her first appearance at the climax of season three in the episode, “The One at the Beach,” Garr returned for the season four episodes “The One with the Jellyfish” and “The One with Phoebe’s Uterus.”
The Ohio-born star passed away on Tuesday, October 29, due to complications from multiple sclerosis, according to the New York Post.
Rest in peace.
