Cindy Williams – who portrayed the titular character Shirley Feeney in iconic 1970s sitcom Laverne & Shirley – has died aged 75.
The talented actress – who starred alongside Penny Marshall on all eight seasons of the legendary ABC series – passed away after a brief illness, according to AP.
Her children Zak and Emily Hudson released a statement released through family spokeswoman Liza Cranis.
Illness: The actress (above in 2015) – best known for her role as Shirley Feeney on the hit sitcom Laverne & Shirley – passed away at 75 years of age after a brief illness, according to AP
Cindy Williams and Penny Marshall star in ‘Laverne & Shirley’
TV icon: Cindy Williams (right) played Shirley Feeney alongside Penny Marshall (left), as Laverne De Fazio in the hit sitcom Laverne & Shirley. They are seen here in a promotional image from the show circa 1980
‘The passing of our kind, hilarious mother, Cindy Williams, has brought us insurmountable sadness that could never truly be expressed,’ the statement began.
‘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,’ the statement concluded.
Williams was born in Los Angeles in 1947 and spent her childhood writing and performing at Birmingham High School, where she was classmates with Sally Field and Michael Ovitz.
She got her start acting in the early 1970s with guest-starring spots in TV shows like Barefoot in the Park and Room 222 before he was cast by legendary director George Cukor in 1972’s Travels With My Aunt.
Double date: She first met Penny Marshall (both seen in a 1979 image from Laverne & Shirley) on a double date before they were both hired by Coppola’s American Zoetrope to write a TV spoof for the American Bicentennial
Laverne and Shirley: Marshall’s brother Garry Marshall brought her on for an appearance on his hit TV series Happy Days before Williams and Marshall were cast as Shirley Feeney and Laverne DeFazio on the hit series Laverne & Shirley (seen above in 1977)
She then landed the role of Laurie, the girlfriend of Ron Howard’s Steve, in George Lucas’ American Graffiti, which earned her a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
Lucas had considered Williams for the role of Princess Leia Organa, though it ultimately went to Carrie Fisher.
Williams then stared in Best Picture nominee The Conversation for director Francis Ford Coppola in 1974.
She first met Penny Marshall on a double date before they were both hired by Coppola’s American Zoetrope to write a TV spoof for the American Bicentennial.
Marshall’s brother Garry Marshall brought Marshall and Williams on for an appearance on his hit TV series Happy Days, as Shirley Feeney and Laverne DeFazio, two dates for Fonzie (Henry Winkler).
Their appearance was so popular they created the spin-off series Laverne & Shirley – created by Lowell Ganz, Garry Marshall and Mark Rothman – followed the title characters’ misadventures as single ladies throughout the 1950s and 1960s.
As ratings dropped in the sixth season, the characters moved from Milwaukee to Burbank, California, trading their brewery jobs for work at a department store.
Origins: Marshall’s brother Garry Marshall brought Marshall and Williams on for an appearance on his hit TV series Happy Days, as Shirley Feeney and Laverne DeFazio, two dates for Fonzie (Henry Winkler) in a 1975 episode seen above
Popular: Their appearance (seen above circa 1975) was so popular they created the spin-off series Laverne & Shirley – created by Lowell Ganz, Garry Marshall and Mark Rothman – followed the title characters’ misadventures as single ladies throughout the 1950s and 1960s
In 1982, Williams became pregnant and wanted her working hours curtailed. When her demands weren´t met, she walked off the set, and filed a lawsuit against its production company.
The series ran for eight seasons, though Williams left the show after just the second episode of the final season after she became pregnant.
Williams would go on to star in a number of TV movies throughout the 1980s before returning to television in the 1990s with Normal Life and Getting By.
She continued to work regularly throughout the years, even reuniting with Marshall (who passed away in 2018) in a 2013 Laverne & Shirley tribute episode of Sam & Cat and she published her memoir Shirley, I Jest! (co-written with Dave Smitherman) in 2015.