The Teri Garr You Never Knew: How Late Actress Went to Grave With 'Dignity and Grace' After Weathering Brutal Personal Storms Including Secret MS Battle
Garr shared her life story in her memoir.
Dec. 13 2024, Published 1:30 p.m. ET
Legendary actress Teri Garr stayed positive until the end - even as she faced a crippling battle with multiple sclerosis.
Garr was open about her fight, RadarOnline.com can reveal, which ended with her death in October at the age of 79.
The actress was diagnosed with MS in 1999.
Garr, known for her starring roles in Young Frankenstein, Friends, and Tootsie, passed away on October 29 after her decades-long battle with the chronic autoimmune disease.
The actress was widely recognized for her work in film and television, boasting over 140 credits to her name.
However, the Oscar nominee first began noticing something was wrong around the time she filmed Tootsie. In her 2005 memoir Speedbumps, she said the first warning signs were tingling in her hands and feet, tripping, muscle weakness and fatigue.
She said: "Every movie I did, I'd go see a different doctor in the location where we were shooting, and every one had a different opinion about what it might be. Every so often someone would mention MS, but then someone else would think it was something else."
Eventually, Garr was confined to a wheelchair.
Garr received the confirmation she dreaded in 1999. After keeping her diagnosis a tightly-guarded secret, she went public with her condition two years later.
The actress said she refused to let her diagnosis defeat her: "I think some people want you to be upset. Not only am I not upset, but I'm OK.
"I don’t see any profit in being down; I don’t see that it gets you anywhere."
Instead, Garr focused her attention on her family, marrying building contractor John O’Neil, and adopting her daughter, Molly.
Garr was nominated for an Oscar for her role opposite Dustin Hoffman in 'Tootsie'.
However, Garr soon discovered her openness was apparently keeping her from getting anywhere professionally. Hollywood roles started drying up, as producers distanced themselves from her - and her sickness.
"The initial inquiries about my health ranged from caring to catty. The gossip had an immediate and devastating effect on my career," she said.
"My work opportunities fell off a cliff."
The Hollywood star stayed positive until her death.
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Still, her hope and positive attitude would not waver - even as he body further failed her. In 2006, Garr suffered a brain aneurysm that put her in a coma for weeks.
She was eventually confined to a wheelchair, and relied on the help of others to get around.
In her book, she reflected: "We don’t make the rules. One of the only things we can control about any affliction — and life in general — is our attitude toward dealing with it."
In her final years, Garr found new life and purpose serving as an inspiration for others with MS, becoming an ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and national chair for the society’s Women Against MS program.
After officially retiring from acting in 2011, her new role rejuvenated her, giving her a chance to shine in front of audiences once more.
"For the first time in my life, I got to play myself all the time. Hopefully, my stories would help other people with MS connect, and make them smile. I thought I could show what a difference a positive attitude could make."
