Sad news out of Hollywood today, as actress, comedian, and filmmaker Penny Marshall has passed away at the age of 75. According to TMZ, Marshall passed away due to complications from diabetes. Born in the Bronx in 1943, Marshall first gained fame for her work as Laverne DeFazio on the 1970s sitcom Laverne & Shirley . The show ran for seven seasons and made Marshall a household name. But it may be her work behind the camera for which Marshall is best known to younger audiences. In the ’80s and ’90s, Marshall directed a string of wildly successful films, including such modern classics as Big , Awakenings, and A League of Their Own . She was a frequent collaborator with her brother Garry Marshall, himself an iconic figure for his work on both sides of the camera. A prolific artist up to her final days, Marshall has appeared in cameo roles in The Simpsons, Entourage , and Sam & Cat , the Nickelodeon sitcom that first introduced the world to Ariana Grande. Growing up on the Bronx’s Grand Concourse along such future luminaries as Neil Simon, Calvin Klein, and Paddy Chayefsky, Marshall was surrounded by show business from a young age. She eventually married one of her childhood neighbors, Rob Reiner, though the couple divorced after ten years. “When Rob Reiner and I were children, we lived across the street from each other. We never met because the Grand Concourse was a busy street, and we were too young to cross it,’’ Marshall said in 2012 interview. “He went to PS 8, I went to 80. He moved when he was 7. His father, Carl, was one of the stars on Your Show of Shows, and he was the most famous person in the neighborhood. He was also known for giving out the best Halloween candy.” Insiders say Penny lapsed into a deep depression in the past two years, following the death of her best friend Carrie Fisher and her brother Garry. Family and friends were reportedly concerned that Marshall had stopped properly caring for herself, but at this time it’s not known if anything could have been done to prevent her passing. Our thoughts go out to Marshall’s friends and family during this difficult time. View Slideshow: Celebrities Who Died in 2018: In Memoriam
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Penny Marshall Dies; Film and TV Legend Was 75
