Garry Marshall, Creator of 'Happy Days' And 'Mork and Mindy,' Passes At 81

The '70s had been a great time for laughs, creativity, and famed directors to rise in fame with prestigious shows that remain golden classics. From the silly laughs of Robin Williams to the famed ,''Heyyyyyyyyy" of Henry Wrinkler as 'The Fonz', the man behind the scenes that created these roles has passed away at 81.

Tuesday afternoon, Access Hollywood (tweet below) first broke news of the director behind "Pretty Woman" and "The Princess Diaries, Garry Marshall has passed away. The cause of his death was complications from pneumonia following a stroke.

Known for his first bigscreen smash-hit "Pretty Woman", which starred Julia Roberts as a beautiful, funny, and mind-blowing escort-for-hire with Richard Gere as her hiring Prince Charming; the movie broke records of $463 million world wide. Julia Roberts was nominated for an Oscar while the film was nominated for a Golden Glove for best comedy/musical. Gary Marshall was soon after nominated for a French awards foreign-film category, which earned him quite a mention across seas.

Known historically for his shows such as "The Odd Couple," Marshall continued on in the 70's to continue creating smash hit shows such as "Laverne and Shirley," "Mork and Mindy," and "Happy Days". His show "The Odd Couple" would be revitalized almost forty years later with a reboot in 2016 fearing Matthew Perry and Thomas Lennon. The show premiered on CBS where it continues to run.

Marshall originally pitched "Happy Days" in 1971, which would later be used in broadcast company ABC's comedy series "Love, American Style" called "Love and the Happy Days", which featured Ron Howard, whom later showed up in "American Graffiti," which released later in 1973.

The show "Happy Days" would later debut on the same network in 1974, reaching critical acclaim among the 1950's fans. This could be said to be in-part to the George Lucas decided to take on himself. During the early days of Marshall's career he would see his show peak to the no. 1 spot from '76-'77, and No. 2 from '77-'78. Only to fall into No. 4 in '79. As a cult classic, many remember the show thanks to Harry Wrinkler's famed character by "The Fonz" who would be known for his leather jacket, mentality, and famed line "Eyyyyyyy," which is still seen across many shows today.

He would continue on to help create shows "Laverne and Shirley," "Mork and Mindy," and even produce the movie "Runaway Bride," which would be a follow up success to his movie "Pretty Woman." the movie would go on to reunite both Julia Roberts and Richard Gere for another film, but only to be considered a sit-com failure in the bigscreen, while grossing in $309 million in its time there. Later one he would go on to create the movie series "The Princess Diaries" featuring Anne Hathaway and acting as well as musical sensation Julie Andrews. The two films would bring in $300 million combined.

The famed director and t.v. show creator was born to Marjorie Irene, a tap dancer who ran a tap dance school as well as a his father, Anthony Wallace Marshall, whom directed industrial films and would continue on to become a producer. Both his brother, Ronny Marshall Hallin would become a TV producer while his sister Penny would become an actress. With his family background, he would find himself pursuing a career in television and entertainment. With his dedication and knowledge, he became a dedicated writer, producer, and loved part of Hollywood's mainstream cinema.

Our thoughts and prayers lie with the Marshall family in the wake of Gary's passing. Thank you Gary for the laughs, the love, and the memories that will carry on for many, many, many more years to come.