Teri Garr remembered by Friends co-star Lisa Kudrow after death aged 79
Garr played Kudrow's on-screen birth mother, Phoebe Abbott.
Teri Garr, the actress known for her comedic roles in series such as Friends and films including Dumb and Dumber, has died at the age of 79, and Lisa Kudrow has been among those to pay tribute.
Garr's death was announced on 29th October, with her publicist Heidi Schaeffer telling the Associated Press that she died of multiple sclerosis, with which she was diagnosed in 1999.
One of Garr's best-known roles was as Phoebe Buffay's birth mother, Phoebe Abbott, in three episodes of Friends.
Following news of her death, Phoebe Buffay star Kudrow paid tribute to Garr.
Kudrow said in a statement to People: "Teri Garr was a comedic acting genius who was and is a huge influence on me and I know I’m not alone in that. I feel so lucky and grateful I got to work with Teri Garr."
Garr was born in 1944, and first trained in dance as a child, before taking small acting roles in TV and film as a teenager.
Across her career, she had roles in films including The Conversation, Young Frankenstein, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, After Hours, Mr Mom and Dumb and Dumber.
She was nominated for an Oscar and a BAFTA, both in the Supporting Actress category, for her role in Dustin Hoffman's romantic comedy film Tootsie.
She was married once, to John O'Neil, between 1993 and 1996, and leaves behind a daughter, Molly O'Neil.
Among those also paying tribute to Garr was Mel Brooks, who directed the actress in Young Frankenstein.
He said in a post on Twitter, which has been rebranded as X: "So very sorry to hear about Teri Garr’s passing. She was so talented and so funny.
"Her humor and lively spirit made the YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN set a pleasure to work on. Her 'German' accent had us all in stitches! She will be greatly missed."
Meanwhile, her Mr Mom co-star Michael Keaton said in a post on Instagram: "This is a day I feared and knew was coming. Forget about how great she was as an actress and comedienne. She was a wonderful woman. Not just great to work with but great to be around.
"AND go back and watch her comedic work-Man, was she great!! RIP girl."
Writer and director Paul Feig said in a post: "Oh man, this is devastating. Teri was a legend. So funny, so beautiful, so kind. I had the honor of working with her in 2006 and she was everything I dreamed she would be. Truly one of my comedy heroes. I couldn’t have loved her more. This is such a loss."
