Garry Marshall Dead at Age 81

Director made some of Hollywood's most beloved movies like Pretty Woman and Overboard

By Lily Harrison Jul 20, 2016 3:02 AMTags

Garry Marshall has passed away at the age of 81, E! News has learned. 

Marshall suffered from "complications of pneumonia following a stroke at a hospital in Burbank, Calif.," his rep said in a statement.

At present time, funeral services will be private and a memorial is being planned for his birthday on November 13.

The statement added, "The family requests no flowers. Donations in the name of Garry Marshall can be made to The Saban Community Clinic, formerly known as the Los Angeles Free Clinic, The Intensive Care Unit at Providence St. Joseph's Medical Center in Burbank, and Northwestern University Undergraduate Scholarship Fund."

The Bronx-born Hollywood legend was at the helm of some of the most beloved movies and television series' around, including Pretty Woman, Laverne & Shirley, Mork & Mindy, Happy Days, Overboard, Beaches, Exit to Eden, The Princess Diaries and much, much more.

Henry Winkler tweeted his heartfelt thoughts, writing, "Rest In Peace...Thank you for my professional life. Thank you for your loyalty , friendship and generosity."  

He also acted in the classic hit A League of Their Own, Hocus Pocus and Murphy Brown, just to name a few of the well-known projects he's been linked to over the years.

His illustrious career began when he became a writer for The Tonight Show with Jack Paar in the late 1950's, shortly before he moved to Los Angeles to work with Jerry Belson.

The duo co-wrote on several hit series' like The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Danny Thomas Show, The Joey Bishop and The Lucy Show.

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After a short-lived stint as the creator and producers of Hey, Landlord, the writing partners adapted Neil Simon's famous play, The Odd Couple, for television starring Tony Randall as Felix and Jack Klugman as Oscar.

Marshall's career has been met with deserving praise over the course of the last decades, most notably back in 2014 when he received the Laurel Award for TV Writing Achievement from the Writers Guild of America.

In 1996 he was awarded the Women in Film Lucy Award, which recognizes excellence and innovation in creative works that have enhanced the perception of women through the medium of television. The following year, he was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame.

Marshall is survived by his three children, Kathleen, Scott and Lori, and wife Barbara Marshall.

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