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Pretty Woman director Garry Marshall pictured with Julia Roberts, with whom he would later work with again on Runaway Bride and Mother’s Day
Credit: Twitter
Happy Days creator and the director of Pretty Women, Garry Marshall, has died aged 81 from complications from pneumonia after having a stroke, his publicist has revealed in a statement.
Marshall, who created some of the most iconic sitcoms in television history – The Odd Couple, Laverne and Shirley and Mork and Mindy amongst them – before directing box office hits like Runaway Bride, Valentine’s Day and New Year’s Eve, helped make stars of some of the biggest names working in Hollywood today, chief amongst them Julia Roberts, Robin Williams and Anne Hathaway, with whom he would first work on The Princess Diaries and its blockbuster sequels.
According to Variety, Marshall is survived by his wife, Barbara, to whom he was married since 1963; his children Scott, who followed his father into a career as a film director and his actress daughters Lori and Kathleen and their children; as well as his sisters Penny Marshall, an actress and film director, and Ronny Hallin, a TV producer.
A number of actors who owe their careers to Marshall have begun to pay tribute on social media, chief amongst them being Henry Winkler, who thanked Marshall for his “professional life”, which took off after he landed the role of The Fonz on Happy Days.
GARRY MARSHALL Rest In Peace .. Thank you for my professional life. Thank you for your loyalty , friendship and generosity .
— Henry Winkler (@hwinkler4real) July 20, 2016
Garry Marshall, I am forever indebted to you. Thank you for taking a chance on me. I love you. On the wings on Angels, rest now.
— Sarah Paulson (@MsSarahPaulson) July 20, 2016
Garry Marshall gave me one of the best experiences I ever had in my career. Thanks pal. RIP
— jason alexander (@IJasonAlexander) July 20, 2016
RIP Garry Marshall. You forever changed my father’s life, and thus, mine. Thank you for capturing so much joy on film, over and over.
— Zelda Williams (@zeldawilliams) July 20, 2016
Garry Marshall I adored working with you, your kindness unforgotten. “May you be in heaven half an hour before the Devil knows you’re dead.”
— Kathy Bates (@MsKathyBates) July 20, 2016
Garry Marshall hired me at 15 years old. He gave my wife her start at 18, as a makeup artist. He changed our lives. And MANY others. #love
— Rob Lowe (@RobLowe) July 20, 2016
Richard Gere, who also worked with Marshall on 1990’s Pretty Woman and on Runaway Bride, has released the following statement paying tribute to his collaborator:
“Garry of course was one of those truly important people one is blessed to meet in one’s lifetime. Besides being the pulse and life force of ‘Pretty Woman’… a steady helmsman on a ship that could have easily capsized… he was a super fine and decent man, husband and father who brought real joy and love and infectious good spirits to every thing and everyone he crossed paths with. Everyone loved Garry. He was a mentor and a cheerleader and one of the funniest men who ever lived. He had a heart of the purest gold and a soul full of mischief. He was Garry.”
Tile image: Twitter
