Actor Cindy Williams, best known for her role in the 70s-80s TV sitcom “Laverne & Shirley”, has died at age 75.
Williams children said in a statement released by family spokesperson Liza Cranis that she died peacefully Wednesday at her home in Los Angeles after a short illness: “The passing of our kind, hilarious mother, Cindy Williams, has brought us insurmountable sadness that could never truly be expressed. Knowing and loving her has been our joy and privilege. She was one of a kind, beautiful, generous and possessed a brilliant sense of humor and a glittering spirit that everyone loved.”
Williams starred as Shirley Feeney opposite Penny Marshall (who played Laverne DeFazio) in the popular sitcom “Laverne & Shirley”. “Laverne & Shirley,” a spinoff of “Happy Days,” starred Williams and Marshall as roommates who work in a Milwaukee bottling plant. The show ran from 1976-1983. Williams also appeared in the 1973 film “American Graffiti” and the 1974 film “The Conversation.”
Henry Winkler, who played The Fonz in “Happy Days,” shared: “Cindy has been my friend and professional colleague since I met her on the set of ‘Happy Days’ in 1975. Not once have I ever been in her presence when she wasn’t gracious, thoughtful and kind. Cindy’s talent was limitless. There was not a genre she could not conquer. I am so glad I knew her.”
Williams is survived by her two children, Emily and Zak. In their statement, her children said that their mother was devoted to rescuing animals and her faith, and that she wanted the world to laugh: “May that laughter continue in everyone, because she would want that .. Thank you for loving our Mom, she loved you too.”
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