Friends Star Teri Garr Dead at 79 after Multiple Sclerosis Battle — Oscar-Nominated Actress Remembered As a 'Powerful Woman' in Tribute
Teri Garr, star of Tootsie and Young Frankenstein, has died at the age of 79.
Teri Garr, known for her starring roles in Young Frankenstein, Friends, and Tootsie, has passed away at the age of 79.
The Oscar-nominated actress died on Tuesday after her decades-long battle with the chronic autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The Oscar-nominated actress died of multiple sclerosis after being diagnosed in 2002.
Garr's publicist, Heidi Schaeffer, told People she was "surrounded by family and friends" at her time of death.
The actress was widely recognized for her work in film and television, boasting over 140 credits to her name — including her iconic roles in 1974's Young Frankenstein and 1982's Tootsie, the latter earning her an Academy Award nomination.
Garr was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in the 1982 hit comedy Tootsie.
Samantha Morton, who worked alongside Garr in the 2007 film Expired, shared touching words about the actress following news of her passing.
She wrote on Instagram: "Teri Garr. It was a real honor to work with you. A powerful, uncompromising, and hilarious woman."
"A courageous fighter of multiple sclerosis, you brought such joy to so many."
Garr began her career in entertainment as a dancer with a focus on ballet.
She left college to move to New York and pursue acting, where she studied at the Actors Studio and the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute.
Early on, she appeared as a dancer in six movies starring Elvis Presley and a slew of other TV variety shows.
Her first speaking role was in The Monkees' 1968 film Head, written by Jack Nicholson. That same year, she appeared in the Star Trek episode "Assignment: Earth" and later became a regular on The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour in 1972.
Garr found major success just two years later, booking a role in Francis Ford Coppola's thriller The Conversation and starring in Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein as Inga.
She later starred in Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind and booked Tootsie in 1982, which landed her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination.
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Garr also appeared in films such as After Hours, Mom and Dad Save the World, and One From the Heart.
On television, she made appearances on shows such as McCloud, M*A*S*H, Barnaby Jones, Good & Evil, Women of the House, Good Advice, The Odd Couple, and Maude.
Garr opened up about her struggle with multiple sclerosis in her 2006 memoir, calling it a 'sneaky disease'.
In the late 1990s, she landed the recurring role of Phoebe Abbott in Friends — the estranged birth mother of character Phoebe Buffay, played by actress Lisa Kudrow.
In 2002, Garr disclosed that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis during the 1990s, adding that she first started experiencing symptoms while filming One From the Heart and Tootsie.
She opened up about the disease in her 2006 memoir, Speedbumps: Flooring It Through Hollywood.
She wrote: "MS is a sneaky disease. Like some of my boyfriends, it has a tendency to show up at the most awkward times and then disappear entirely."
"It would take over 20 years for doctors to figure out what was wrong. Sometimes they mentioned MS, but all the tests came back clear. Then the symptoms would fade away and I'd forget about it, sort of."
Garr claimed "the industry" wanted "no part" of her illness, which initially "outraged" her.
The late star retired her acting career in 2011 and became a national ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
She continued: "Whatever was going on in my body had been going on for years. It never got in the way of my work."
"Then I started thinking the job offers disappeared because I stunk as an actress. It was a tough trio: mysterious symptoms, my insecurities about my acting ability, and the reality of being an 'aging' actress."
Garr retired from acting in 2011 and went on to become a national chair for the Society's Women Against MS program and a national ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
She is survived by her daughter, Molly O’Neil, 30, and grandson, Tyryn, 6.
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