Legendary director Garry Marshall died on Tuesday, July 19, at age 81. He passed away from complications of pneumonia following a stroke at a hospital in Burbank, California, his rep said.
He was best known for directing a slew of famous films, including Pretty Woman, Overboard, Runaway Bride and The Princess Diaries, and he created the beloved sitcom Happy Days and its spinoffs including Laverne & Shirley, Mork & Mindy and Joanie Loves Chachi. His most recent film, Mother’s Day, which featured an ensemble cast with stars such as Jennifer Aniston, Julia Roberts, Kate Hudson and more, was just released in April.
After his death, celebs took to social media to pay tribute to the Hollywood icon, whose work as a writer and director over more than five decades launched the careers of dozens of superstars.
“Everyone loved Garry,” Richard Gere, who starred opposite Julia Roberts in 1990’s Pretty Woman and 1999's Runaway Bride, said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “He was a mentor and a cheerleader and one of the funniest men who ever lived. He had a heart of the purest gold and a soul full of mischief. He was Garry.”
Henry Winkler, who played Arthur “Fonzie" Fonzarelli on Happy Days, was among the many who took to social media to mourn Marshall. “GARRY MARSHALL Rest In Peace .. Thank you for my professional life. Thank you for your loyalty, friendship and generosity,” the 70-year-old actor wrote on Twitter.
See more celebs’ social media tributes below:
