TV star dies after health battle with heartbreaking note from family

Cindy Williams, who played Shirley on “Laverne & Shirley,” passed away last week.

The actress who worked alongside Penny Marshall’s Laverne on the Happy Days spin-off died at age 75, her family revealed on Monday.

Cindy, who is survived by her two children Zak and Emily Hudson, passed away on Wednesday, January 25, 2022, after a brief illness.

In a statement released by their family spokeswoman Liza Cranis, Cindy’s children said: “The passing of our kind, hilarious mother, Cindy Williams, has brought us insurmountable sadness that could never truly be expressed.

“Knowing and loving her has been our joy and privilege. She was one of a kind, beautiful, generous and possessed a brilliant sense of humor and a glittering spirit that everyone loved.”

“Laverne & Shirley” ran on ABC from January 26, 1976 until 1983 and was one of the most popular shows on TV between 1977 and 1979.

Cindy, born on August 22, 1947, was an American actress known for her appearances in Happy Days, American Graffiti, and The Conversation.

In “Laverne & Shirley,” Cindy played the straitlaced Shirley Feeney to Penny’s more libertine Laverne on the show about a pair of roommates that worked at a Milwaukee bottling factory in the 1950s and 60s, the Associated Press reports.

Cindy’s death comes about five years after her co-star Penny Marshall, who played Laverne, died on December 17, 2018.

Penny also passed away at age 75 and her cause of death was found to be from diabetes complications.

Her brother, Garry Marshall, who co-created the sit-com series, also passed away in 2018.

Cindy acted alongside Penny until the end of the popular show’s seventh series.

However, “Laverne & Shirley” continued on to its eight season without Cindy after she got married and became pregnant with her first child.

Cindy told the Today show back in 2015, “I thought I was going to come back and they’d hide [the baby bump] behind benches, couches, pillows, and that wasn’t it.

“When it came time for me to sign my contract for that season, they had me working on my due date to have my baby. I said, ‘You know, I can’t sign this.’ And it went back and forth and back and forth, and it just never got worked out.

“Right after that, [shows] would build nurseries on sets.”

She ended up filing a $20 million lawsuit, which was settled, against Paramount and the show’s producers for $20million.

Cindy, a brown haired, blue-eyed actress who charmed TV viewers across the country and earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in 1978, also helped produce “The Father Of The Bride” movies her now-ex husband.

Following the news of her passing, fans flooded social media, with one praising the late star as “one of the great comedian actors of our day.”

“You certainly gave me many laughs over the years. You will be missed,” another wrote.

A third fan tweeted: “I am so sad to hear that Cindy Williams passed away today. I loved Laverne and Shirley and still occasionally watch it.

“With Lenny and Squiggy, it will remain one of our best classic comedies. May Cindy’s memory be a blessing.”

“Half of the time I can’t remember why I walked in to a room, but I can still remember the theme song from Laverne & Shirley,” tweeted another.