Garry Marshall, who created "Happy Days" and other memorable sitcoms in the 1970s, as well as the movies "Pretty Woman" and "The Princess Diaries," died Tuesday from complications from pneumonia following a stroke.
Variety reported that Marshall, 81, who died in Burbank, California, found success numerous times in the 1970s with "The Odd Couple," "Laverne and Shirley," and "Mork and Mindy."
Marshall's work helped launch or lift the careers of many stars, including Henry Winkler from "Happy Days," Robin Williams from "Mork and Mindy," Julia Roberts from "Pretty Woman," and Anne Hathaway from "The Princess Diaries."
"Garry, of course, was one of those truly important people one is blessed to meet in one's lifetime," actor Richard Gere, who starred in "Pretty Woman" alongside Roberts, said in a statement,
according to The Hollywood Reporter. "Besides being the pulse and life force of 'Pretty Woman' … a steady helmsman on a ship that could have easily capsized ... he was a super-fine and decent man, husband and father who brought real joy and love and infectious good spirits to everything and everyone he crossed paths with.
"Everyone loved Garry. 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," Gere continued.
A four-time Emmy nominee and the brother of actress Penny Marshall, he produced hit movies in every decade since the 1960s, noted The Hollywood Reporter. Those movies included, "How Sweet It is (1968), "The Grasshopper" (1970), "Young Doctors in Love" (1982), "The Flamingo Kind" (1984), "Nothing in Common" (1986), "Overboard" (1987), "Beaches" (1988), "Frankie and Johnny" (1991), "Dear God" (1996), "The Other Sister" (1999), "Runaway Bride" (1999), "The Princess Diaries" (2001), "Valentine's Day (2010), and "New Year's Eve" (2011).
Other stars, including former "Happy Days" stars Ron Howard and Winkler, joined in recognizing Marshall on social media.
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