'Who didn't love her?': Mary Tyler Moore is remembered by celebrities as an inspiration, trailblazer

‘Who didn’t love her?’: Mary Tyler Moore is remembered by celebrities as an inspiration, trailblazer

Mary Tyler Moore as Mary Richards in 1970 on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show."

Jan. 25, 2017 2:30 PM PT

The death of Mary Tyler Moore at age 80 set off an outpouring of condolences and memories on social media, with celebrities from across the board posting thoughts on a woman they remembered as a one-of-a-kind trailblazer and inspiration who could “turn the world on with her smile.”

Ed Asner tweeted his support just before word of Moore’s passing went public, writing to his former costar, “my heart goes out to you and your family. Know that I love you and believe in your strength.”

For the record:

5:45 p.m. Nov. 15, 2024An earlier version of this article said a statue of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” character Mary Richards is in Milwaukee. It is in Minneapolis.

He offered his condolences soon after.

“I loved Mary Tyler Moore on so many levels it was confusing,” said Ben Stiller, whose late mother, Anne Meara, and father, Jerry Stiller, were Moore’s contemporaries. “Such a huge part of our culture and consciousness. Sending love to her family.”

Kevin Smith remembered Moore as a “TV & film star, tireless defender of animals, and scourge of diabetes.” Larry King called her “a dear friend and a truly great person. A fighter.”

“Mary Tyler Moore was a wonderful leader for diabetes research. She was a great, talented person with deep passion about juvenile diabetes,” Newt Gingrich tweeted, and Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., noted that she’d always be immortalized in the state he represents, where there’s a statue of her character Mary Richards tossing her beret in the air in Minneapolis.

Even the nicest frog in the world had something to say.

“Who didn’t love her?,” asked “Star Trek: The Next Generation” actor Brett Spiner. Original “Star Trek” alum George Takei called her “a role model in so many ways.”

Wilmer Valderrama said it was his honor and “a memory I will carry forever” to have met Moore when she worked with him on “That ‘70s Show.”

“I’m deep in regret about the passing of Mary Tyler Moore. What an actress. What a woman. What a person. Always gracious, filled w/good humor,” Dan Rather said.