TVC E. Director, producer and writer Garry Marshall, who was responsible for creating sitcom hits such as “The Odd Couple” and “Happy Days” and directed hit movies “Pretty Woman” and “The Princess Diaries,” died on Tuesday, Variety reported.
He was 81.
Marshall died at 5 p.m. local time (0000 GMT) in Burbank, California, from complications of pneumonia after a stroke, his representative Michelle Bega told USA Today.
“The Odd Couple,” a hit sitcom created and produced by Marshall, began a five-year run on ABC in 1970. The show, starring Jack Klugman and Tony Randall, received Emmy nominations and wins for the comedy series based on Neil Simon’s play about two divorced men with different lifestyles who are forced to share an apartment.
Marshall’s “Happy Days” debuted as a television series on ABC in 1974, starting a 10-year run that saw Henry Winkler’s “the Fonz” become what Variety described as a cultural touchstone.
“Garry Marshall Rest In Peace. Thank you for my professional life. Thank you for your loyalty, friendship and generosity,” Winkler said on Twitter.
