Mary Tyler Moore was born on Dec. 29, 1936, in Brooklyn Heights. After
living in Queens and Brooklyn, her family moved to California when she
was 8. Her father, George Tyler Moore, a clerk, and her mother, the
former Margery Hackett, were both alcoholics and, Ms. Moore often said,
imperfect parents. The eldest of their three children, Mary would
outlive both her sister, Elizabeth Moore, who died of a drug and alcohol
overdose in 1978, and her brother, John Hackett Moore, who
died of
cancer in 1992 after Ms. Moore had assisted him in an unsuccessful
suicide attempt. died at the age of 80 on January 25, 2017, Greenwich, Connecticut. Her family said her death, at Greenwich Hospital, was caused by cardiopulmonary arrest after she had contracted pneumonia.
Back in art school, I arranged to get a press pass to Beverly Sills retirement dinner. I followed the flock of reporters shooting photos which I later used to complete a series of sketches about the evening. Held in a hotel in Central Park South) the evening was glamorous. For a student illustrative journalist, it was pure magic.
I loved Mary Tyler Moore. I knew her mostly as the spunky female reporter on her signature show, “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” broadcast from 1970 to 1977, it was produced by both Ms. Moore and her second husband, Grant Tinker, who later ran NBC and who died on Nov. 28, 2017. She went on to more serious fare, including an Oscar-nominated role in
the 1980 film “Ordinary People” as a frosty, resentful mother whose son
has died.I always admired that performance that reminded me of people in my own life.
When I landed a dream job while in NYC, I threw my hat up in the air just as Mary did at the intro to every show. There was always a poised quality to Mary. During the gala she wore a gorgeous dark gown with huge billowing sheaves. I had never seen or sketched anything like it.