Publicist Michelle Bega told NBC News that Marshall died Tuesday at a hospital in Burbank, California, of complications from pneumonia after having a stroke.
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Marshall’s television work in the 1970s boosted his capital as he created the nosalgic comedy staple Happy Days, a widely successful show that made a household name out of future Oscar-winning director Ron Howard and cemented Henry Winkler’s The Fonz as one of the most iconic characters in history; the leather jacket he wore is on display at the Smithsonian.
Pretty Woman star Richard Gere, who was also the lead in Marshall’s Runaway Bride, said the legend “had a heart of the purest gold and a soul full of mischief”.
Another Happy Days alum, Henry Winkler, shared a couple of heartfelt tweets about the late director. “Thank you for your loyalty, friendship and generosity”, he wrote on his Twitter account. “He came over to me and gently held my hand and said, ‘Kate, sometimes we don’t need to laugh, sometimes making us smile is even more important'”.
Gone and missed already: Garry, pictured above in April, has died at the age of 81. “In one flash of a moment there was so much recognition of how loyal, wonderful, kind, generous, funny, and profound Garry was”.
Marshall also acted and made frequent cameos in movies and shows, including The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, Lost in America, Jumpin’ Jack Flash, A League of Their Own, Hocus Pocus, Murphy Brown, Never Been Kissed, The Simpsons, Brothers & Sisters, The Sarah Silverman Program, Louie, Two and a Half Men, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and BoJack Horseman.
Marshall’s transition to the big screen started slowly with the 1982 soap satire Young Doctors in Love.
“He was a mentor and a cheerleader and one of the funniest men who ever lived”. His work in the ’80s included The Flamingo Kid with Matt Dillon, Nothing in Common with Tom Hanks and Jackie Gleason, Overboard with Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, and Beaches with Bette Midler. I hope I get to go where you are, ‘ Kutcher wrote. “The Princess Diaries” in 2001 was another victor, although Marshall suffered a flop with “Georgia Rule” (2007), starring Jane Fonda and Lindsay Lohan. “I love you. On the wings on angels, rest now”, Paulson added.
Then there’s Anne Hathaway, who only had a part on a Fox sitcom before Marshall cast her to star alongside Julie Andrews in “The Princess Diaries” franchise. Funeral services will be private, the family said, though a memorial is planned for his birthday on November 13.
La Toya Jackson also paid tribute to Marshall and wrote: ‘So sad to hear that Garry Marshall just passed, he brought us great TV!
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Known for his devotion to his family, he is survived by many people who loved him including his wife, Barbara and their children Kathleen, Lori and Scott, as well as six grandchildren.
