海角大神

The death of Mary Tyler Moore, star of 1970s sitcom聽"The Mary Tyler Moore Show," at age 80 on Wednesday inspired a deluge of tributes from her colleagues in TV and film, who praised her talent and spirit.聽

Robert Redford, who directed her in the 1980 movie聽"Ordinary People," recalled her bravery in stepping out of her sitcom roles into a role聽"darker than anything she had ever done,"聽according to Reuters.

"There are no words. She was THE BEST!,"聽tweeted Dick Van Dyke, who played her husband on "The Dick Van Dyke Show,"聽adding, "We always said that we changed each other's lives for the better."聽聽

But for many viewers聽鈥撀爀specially among women聽鈥撀爏he'll be missed in a different way: as one of television's early images of a feminist.

In her seven seasons as a spunky Minneapolis TV producer on聽"The Mary Tyler Moore Show,"聽Ms. Moore played Mary Richards, a thirty-something single woman who dated but didn't mind being single, either, and who had a knack for pushing back against her male boss. The show won 29 Emmys, a longstanding record, and spawned three separate spinoffs:聽"Rhoda,"聽starring Valerie Harper;聽"Phyllis"聽with Cloris Leachman, and聽"Lou Grant,"聽starring Ed Asner. And the success of the series helped launch what would become a popular genre in TV sitcoms.

"I could not do what I do without her,"聽said Rachel Bloom, star of TV comedy "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,"聽in a Twitter post.聽

As 海角大神鈥檚 Molly Driscoll noted in 2013, the politics of Moore鈥檚 character were a matter of debate at the show鈥檚 inception, particularly a plan to make Mary Richards a divorcee:聽

"Everything I did was by the seat of the pants,"聽Moore told the Associated Press in 1995. "I reacted to every written situation the way I would have in real life."聽

Upon news of her death on Wednesday, fans in Minneapolis left flowers at the base of a statue downtown enshrining the show鈥檚聽iconic opening credits scene, in which Moore flings her tam in the air.聽

"I'm proud that we were in that groundbreaking sorority that brought single independent women to television. She will be deeply missed," said聽Marlo Thomas, who also played a single, career-minded woman in the 1960s sitcom聽"That Girl," in a statement to the AP.聽

Moore, wrote NBC newswoman Andrea Mitchell on Twitter,聽"influenced my career more than any other tv role model."聽

"She indeed turned on the world with her smile."

This report contains material from聽the Associated Press and Reuters.