Minnesota mourns actress Mary Tyler Moore

MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - Minnesotans are mourning actress Mary Tyler Moore, who died at 80 years old Wednesday. 

Moore starred in the Minneapolis-set sitcom “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” which ran from 1970-1977. She played Mary Richards, a woman who moved to Minneapolis after a relationship ended badly. Richards takes a job as a news producer for a local television station and lives in an apartment near Lake of the Isles.

Fox 9 morning anchor Alix Kendall was among countless young women who would fall in love with “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.”

“I think at the time she was a character we really hadn't seen too much of before she was single and she lived in a business environment,” Kendall said.

Several bouquets of flowers appeared at the base of Moore's life-size statue in downtown Minneapolis on Wednesday following the news of her death. The bronze statue depicts the actress tossing her trademark hat into the air, just like she did in the opening credits of the show.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Gov. Mark Dayton and others offered their condolences to Moore’s friends and family, calling her a “Minnesota icon.”

Sen. Amy Klobuchar statement

“Mary Tyler Moore was an inspiration for a generation of women and far ahead of her time when it came to women’s rights and leadership both on-screen and off. Although born in New York, Mary Tyler Moore was an honorary Minnesotan, whose popular and groundbreaking show was filmed and set in our state. From the outdoor opening sequence of the show along Nicollet Mall where she tossed her hat, to her bronze statue, we will always remember Mary Tyler Moore in Minnesota. She will be missed, and my condolences go out to her family today.” 

Lt. Gov. Tina Smith statement

“Mary Tyler Moore was a role model for countless women and girls in the 1960s and 1970s, including me," Smith said in a statement. "She showed us how to survive bell bottoms, macramé and bad dates and grow into women with the careers and lives we want – and have fun in the process! In real life, she may never have called Minneapolis home, but Minnesota will always love Mary Tyler Moore and consider her ours.”

Gov. Mark Dayton statement

“Mary Tyler Moore will always be a Minnesota icon. The Mary Tyler Moore Show shared Minneapolis and our entire state with the world, as a place where everyone has the chance to work hard, follow dreams, and succeed. Minnesota will miss her.”