Mary Tyler Moore in her self-titled TV show. Mary Tyler Moore died six years ago today in Connecticut. The star of two of television’s most beloved, iconic, and influential sit-coms, a shrewd businesswoman and powerful producer, Oscar nominee for a type cast shattering dramatic role, philanthropist, activist, and feminist was 80 years old. She had been suffering complications of Type 1 diabetes in recent years which had left her nearly blind. Few actresses have been as loved by fans and show business insiders alike, Moore was born on December 29, 1936 to a comfortably middle class Catholic family in Brooklyn, New York. When she was eight years old the family moved to Los Angeles where she decided to become a dancer at age 17 wh...