Lisa Kudrow leads tributes after Friends actress Teri Garr dies aged 79

Tootsie and Friends star Teri Garr has died aged 79, with Lisa Kudrow among those who have paid tribute to the late actress.

The American TV and movie star, who had more than 140 credits in acting roles including Young Frankenstein and Friends as Phoebe Buffay’s birth mother, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2002.

She died on Tuesday after complications due to the incurable condition, which affects the brain and spinal cord.

Her publicist confirmed to People that she died ‘surrounded by family and friends’.

Kudrow, 61, paid tribute to Garr in a heartfelt statement, saying that her on-screen mother was ‘a comedic acting genius who was and is a huge influence on me and I know I’m not alone in that’.

The Phoebe star continued: ‘I feel so lucky and grateful I got to work with Teri Garr.’

Talkshow host David Letterman wrote in an Instagram post: ‘Teri Garr’s many appearances on Late Night gave it a cachet and importance not possible without her.

‘She was a first class actor and comedian and a lovely human being. A bright star and a real friend to the show. I was lucky to know her. She elevated all, and I’m sad she is gone.’

Garr was born into a showbusiness family, with her mother working in costume production, while her dad was a vaudeville performer.

She trained as a dancer, with an emphasis on ballet, before she began to focus her efforts on acting, and studied at the Actors Studio and the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York City.

Her first successes in the entertainment industry leaned heavily on her dancing skills, as she starred in a series of TV variety shows as a dancer, and appeared opposite Elvis Presley in a number of movies, including Viva Las Vegas in 1964.

Her first speaking role arrived in 1968, when she appeared in the The Monkees film Head, which was produced by Jack Nicholson and Bob Rafelson.

Garr then became a regular feature on The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour in the early 1970s.

Her biggest roles came in 1974 when she starred in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation and Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein.

Garr was also nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in the 1982 comedy movie Tootsie as Sandy Lester.

The acclaimed actress appeared in a number of well-known TV shows during the course of her career, including M*A*S*H, The Odd Couple, Maude, Barnaby Jones, and Friends, where she played Phoebe’s mum.

However, Garr’s career began to slow down in the late 90s and in 2002, the actress announced that she’d been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, which had been affecting her ability to perform for a number of years.

Garr first spoke about her MS diagnosis in 2002 in a bid to raise awareness.

She had suffered from symptoms for many years and visited 11 doctors before she learned of her diagnosis.

‘I think everybody is scared and frightened when they hear something like that,’ she told CNN.

‘That’s because there’s so much – you know, there’s not a lot of information out there about it.

‘And a lot of people don’t know that it’s not that bad. I mean, I’m going on with my life.’

Garr is survived by her daughter Molly, and her grandson Tyryn.

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