Cindy Williams, Shirley of ‘Laverne & Shirley,’ Dies at 75
Cindy Williams, the actress best known for playing Shirley Feeney in the 1970s sitcom Laverne & Shirley, has died. She was 75. Williams died on Wednesday in Los Angeles following a brief…
Cindy Williams, the actress best known for playing Shirley Feeney in the 1970s sitcom Laverne & Shirley, has died. She was 75.
Williams died on Wednesday in Los Angeles following a brief illness. Her death was confirmed in a statement from her children, Zak and Emily Hudson. The statement 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."
Williams first appeared as Shirley Feeney with Penny Marshall as Laverne DeFazio on Happy Days in 1975. While Laverne and Shirley were initially depicted as women with bad reputations, their characters would become very wholesome on their spin-off. Laverne & Shirley debuted in 1976 and was an immediate hit.
The series ran for eight seasons on ABC from 1976 to 1983. Williams famously left the series before its final season due to a contract dispute with Paramount. Williams was pregnant with her first child. In her contract for the final season, the studio wanted her to work on the due date of her pregnancy. She ended up suing Paramount for $20 million. The lawsuit was eventually settled, and Williams was written off the show.
Before Laverne & Shirley, Williams received acclaim for her performances in 1973's American Graffiti and 1974's The Conversation.
Celebrity Deaths 2023: Musicians, Entertainers & Cultural Figures We Lost
We've already had to say goodbye to some big names this year in the worlds of entertainment and beyond.
Scroll through the gallery below to see the musicians, celebrities and other cultural figures we've lost so far in 2023.
Jeff Beck
Simone Joyner/Getty ImagesGuitar icon and two-time Rock &Roll Hall of Fame inductee.
Lola Mitchell
Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Republic RecordsGangsta Boo of Three 6 Mafia
Lisa Marie Presley
Christopher Polk/Getty Images for WonderwallSinger/songwriter and only child Elvis and Priscilla Presley.
Robbie Bachman
MercuryCo-founding member/drummer for Bachman-Turner Overdrive
David Crosby
Mike Windle/Getty ImagesSinger-songwriter best known for his work with the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash (& Young)
Jeremiah Green, drummer for Modest Mouse
Jason Koerner/Getty ImagesDrummer for Modest Mouse.
Anita Pointer
Mike Windle/Getty Images for VFCFounding member of the Pointer Sisters.
Henry Grossman
Ben Gabbe/Getty ImagesCelebrity/Beatles Photographer
Art McNally
Nick Cammett/Getty Images“Father of Instant Replay” in the NFL
Adam Rich
Stephen Shugerman/Getty ImagesChild Star on ‘Eight Is Enough’
Gina Lollobrigida
Keystone Features/Hulton Archive/Getty ImagesActress, international sex symbol, photojournalist and politician.
Lynette Hardaway (L)
Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Save the Storks"Diamond" of conservative media personalities "Diamond and Silk"
Carl Hahn, former head of Volkswagen that helped popularize the VW Beetle
Sean Gallup/Getty ImagesFormer head of Volkswagen that helped popularize the VW Beetle.
Cindy Williams
Gary Gershoff/Getty ImagesActress best known for playing Shirley Feeney in the 1970s sitcom 'Laverne & Shirley.'
Burt Bacharach
Robert Mora/Getty ImagesLegendary songwriter who wrote hits for Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin, Jackie DeShannon, Tom Jones, Dusty Springfield and more.
Raquel Welch
Frederick M. Brown/Getty ImagesActress and iconic sex symbol of the 1960s.
David Jude Jolicoeur (Trugoy the Dove)
Bryan Bedder/Getty ImagesOne-third of the influential hip-hop group De La Soul
Kyle Jacobs
Rick Diamond/Getty ImagesSongwriter and husband of Kellie Pickler.
Charles Kimbrough
Gary Gershoff/Getty ImagesActor of stage, screen and television. Best known for playing Jim Dial on the hit CBS sitcom 'Murphy Brown.'
Bob Born
William Thomas Cain/Getty ImagesConfectioner best known for inventing Peeps.
Bobby Hull
Jonathan Daniel/Getty ImagesHockey Hall of Famer best known for his 15 seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Lloyd Morrisett
Paul Morigi/Getty ImagesCo-creator of 'Sesame Street'
Jerry Blavat
William Thomas Cain/Getty ImagesIconic Philadelphia DJ, "The Geator with the Heater" and "The Big Boss with the Hot Sauce."
Tom Verlaine
Stephen Lovekin/Getty ImagesSongwriter and guitarist from influential punk band Television.
Lisa Loring
Lawrence Lucier/Getty ImagesActress best known for playing Wednesday Addams on ABC's 'The Addams Family' from 1964-1966.
Cody Longo
Mike Coppola/Getty Images for MTVActor and singer/songwriter best known for his roles on 'Hollywood Heights' and 'Days of Our Lives.'
Tim McCarver
MLB All-Star and two-time World Series Champion that went on to be a Hall of Fame broadcaster.
Sal Piro
Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Painted TurtleNoted superfan of 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show.'
Richard Belzer
Stephen Lovekin/Getty ImagesRenowned stand-up comedian and actor best known for playing Det. John Munch on 'Homicide: Life on the Street' and 'Law & Order: SVU.'
Gary Rossington
Rick Diamond/Getty ImagesGuitarist and last surviving original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Lance Reddick
Rich Polk/Getty Images for IMDbActor best known for his roles on HBO's 'The Wire' and the 'John Wick' movie franchise.
Wayne Swinny
O'Donnell Media GroupFounding member and guitarist for Saliva.
Keith Reid (L)
Michael Stroud/Express/Getty ImagesProcol Harum lyricist. Notably wrote the lyrics to "A Whiter Shade of Pale."
Seymour Stein
Frank Micelotta/Getty ImagesIconic record executive who co-founded Sire Records and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Nora Forster
Noam Galai/Getty Images for Tribeca Film FestivalMusic promoter, wife of John Lydon (Sex Pistols' Johnny Rotten) and mother to Arianna Forster (Ari Up from The Slits.)
Michael Lerner
Scott Gries/Getty Images for Tribeca Film FestivalIconic character actor best known for his roles in the films 'Barton Fink,' 'Elf' and 'Newsies.'
Mary Quant
Keystone/Getty ImagesFamed British designer known as "The Mother of the Miniskirt."
Blair Tindall
Brian Ach/Getty Images for Amazon StudiosAuthor of the 2005 memoir 'Mozart in the Jungle: Sex, Drugs, and Classic Music,' which was later adapted into an award-winning series for Amazon.
Barry Humphries (aka: Dame Edna)
Lisa Maree Williams/Getty ImagesAustralian actor best known as the personality of Dame Edna Everage.
Len Goodman
Simon Burchell/Getty ImagesRenown British dance champion who was a longtime judge on ABC's 'Dancing With the Stars.'
Harry Belafonte
Terry Disney/Central Press/Getty ImagesLegendary singer/actor who was also an integral figure in the civil rights movement.
Jerry Springer
Hulton Archive/Getty ImagesFormer politician turned notorious talk show host of 'The Jerry Springer Show.'
