TERI GARR was a beloved actress who played several iconic characters in some of America’s favourite comedies.
The actress passed away on October 29, 2024, but she is remembered by her adopted daughter Molly O’Neill.
A superstar mother
Molly was adopted by her mother on November 11, 1993.
At the time, Teri was married to a contractor named John O’Neill and they raised their new daughter together.
The couple eventually split amicably in 1996 and split custody of their daughter.
Teri began to suffer with health issues in 2002, when she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), and later had an aneurysm in 2006.
During an interview in 2002, John said that Molly was “the most wonderful child in the world” who supported her mother during her struggle.
In her memoir, Teri opened up about her family and said: My friendships and business relations may have been imperfect, but what was most important was that John, Molly and I were a family.
“My life with them was worth everything.
“I knew if I had a bad day, I would go home and there would be this sweet little thing waiting there, just for me.”
Eventually, Teri began to appear at MS fundraisers with her mother.
Molly is extremely private and does not have social media, so she has not openly commented on her mom’s passing.
However, it is known that she has a son named Tyryn.
A comic legend
Teri had a celebrated career in comedy, with Friends co-star Lisa Kudrow describing Teri as a “comedic acting genius”.
The pair had played a mother-and-daughter duo on the show with both characters being named Phoebe.
Most fans will know Teri though from her appearance in 1974’s Young Frankenstein, where she played Gene Wilder’s lab assistant.
They may also recognise her from her appearance opposite Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie, which saw the actor disguise himself as a woman in an attempt to further his career.
Teri did also play more serious roles, including an appearance in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation and Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounter’s with the Third Kind.
When Teri was diagnosed with MS, she initially wanted to keep her diagnosis a secret because she was worried that people might think she has “two days” to live.
She already felt that she was being typecast as a comedy actress and that this was limiting her career.
However, she was beloved across America for her quick-witted humour which made her a highly-sought after guest on late night talk shows.
Teri’s passing
Teri passed away on October 29, 2024, after a 22-year-long battle with MS.
Tributes to the incredible actress quickly began to appear on social media.
Cary Elwes, known for roles in The Princess Bride, Saw and Twister, said that he was a “huge fan” and that he was “honored to have met” Teri.
Michael Keaton described her as a “wonderful woman” who was “not just great to work with but great to be around”.
