‘Tootsie’ And ‘Young Frankenstein’ Actress, Teri Garr Dies Aged 79

Teri Garr, an Oscar-nominated actress known for her work in films like “Young Frankenstein,” “Tootsie” and “Mr. Mom,” has passed away at the age of 79.

Garr died Tuesday in Los Angeles, more than twenty years after she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, her manager Marc Gurvitz told CNN.

“I think everybody is scared and frightened when they hear something like that,” Garr recalled of first learning her diagnosis, after visiting 11 doctors and experiencing years of symptoms they couldn’t explain. “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.”

The daughter of a Broadway performer and a Rockette, Garr studied dance growing up and began auditioning soon after she graduated from high school in Los Angeles. Her earliest credits include dancing and appearing as an extra in films like Elvis Presley’s “Viva Las Vegas.”

The 1970s proved to be a prolific time for Garr, who appeared on several episodes of the sketch comedy series “The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour,” “The New Dick Van Dyke Show,” “The Odd Couple” and “The Bob Newhart Show,” among many others.