Mary Tyler Moore Dies At 80; TV's Iconic Modern Woman Who "Turned The World On With Her Smile" Passes

Mary Tyler Moore, TV's iconic modern woman, has passed away at the age of 80. Ms. The industry is mourning the passing away of the woman who has been fighting a lot of causes even before it became fashionable to fight for controversial issues.

Fans remember Moore as Laura Petrie in "The Dick Van Dyke Show" where she started to become known back in the 1960s. The actress was well loved by the people around her even if she always spoke her mind and pushed for the rights of women in her own way.

Moore has always been vocal about what issues during her time when nobody else would be gutsy enough to talk about it. One of her most memorable lines as Mary Richards was her conversation with her boss Mr. Grant, played by Ed Asner.

She went to the boss' office and asked why the previous associate producer before her earned $50 more that she does when they are both doing the same work. Then Mr. Grant says that "it has nothing to do with your work." The boss even goes to say that she is doing a better job than the former associate producer but apparently, because Mary Richards is a woman, she gets paid lesser. Mr. Grant continues to say that he had to support a family and Mary didn't.

Later in life Ms. Moore has been a staunch advocate of animal rights. She founded the annual adoption event of homeless cats and dogs in New York called Broadway Barks. The event aims to find homes to animals in the shelters especially those animals who may be visually impaired.

Moore, who has been living with type 1 diabetes since she was 33 years old is also an advocate for diabetes cures and research. She is survived by her husband Dr. S. Robert Levine.