Hollywood is saying goodbye to Teri Garr . The actress, known for her comedic roles in films including Young Frankenstein , Mr. Mom and Tootsie , died peacefully in Los Angeles Oct.
29 at age 79 following a lengthy battle with multiple sclerosis (MS), her rep confirmed to E! News. After small roles in film and television as a teenager, including several uncredited appearances as a dancer in movie musicals starring Elvis Presley , Garr gained prominence in the early 1970s. Her work in Tootsie earned her particular critical acclaim, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in 1983.
On the small screen, Garr made frequent guest appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and Late Night with David Letterman . She was also known for her recurring role as Phoebe Buffay’s biological mother, Phoebe Abbott, on Friends . In 2002, Garr revealed she was diagnosed with MS—defined by the Mayo Clinic as an auto-immune disease that affects the communication between the brain and the rest of the body—sharing that she was determined not to live in self-pity.
“I don't see the point,” she told Larry King during an appearance on Larry King Live that October. “I mean, I'm always a very practical person and I just don't see the point of wallowing in it. It's just a waste of time.
It's a waste of energy.” Following her passing, The Sopranos alum Jamie-Lynn Sigler —who revealed her own MS diagnosis in 2016—paid tribute to the late actress on socia.