CINDY WILLIAMS HAS PASSED AWAY

via Variety:

Cindy Williams, who played the cheerful but demure Shirley Feeney in the popular TV sitcom “Happy Days” and its spinoff “Laverne & Shirley,” has died after a brief illness. She was 75.

Williams’ children, Zak and Emily Hudson:

“The passing of our kind, hilarious mother, Cindy Williams, has brought us insurmountable sadness that could never truly be expressed,” the statement said. “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 scored her big break in 1975, when she and Penny Marshall were cast in ABC’s “Happy Days” as Shirley and her best friend Laverne DeFazio, who went on a double date with Richie (Ron Howard) and Fonzie (Henry Winkler). The guest appearance was so popular that it led to their own spinoff, “Laverne & Shirley,” which followed the friends’ lives as roommates and co-workers at Shotz Brewery. The show ran for eight seasons from 1976 to 1983, becoming the most-watched show on television by its third season and garnering six Golden Globes nominations and one Emmy nomination. Williams departed the show in its eighth and final season after she became pregnant with her first child.

“Cindy has been my friend and professional colleague since I met her on the set of “Happy Days” in 1975. Not once have I ever been in her presence when she wasn’t gracious, thoughtful and kind,” Winkler said in a statement after Williams’ death. “Cindy’s talent was limitless. There was not a genre she could not conquer. I am so glad I knew her.”