Garry Marshall, creator of Happy Days, dies aged 81

The director of Pretty Woman and creator of Happy Days, Garry Marshall, has died at the age of 81.

Starting out as a journalist at the New York Daily News, Mr Marshall went on to become a successful TV scriptwriter and was behind hit US sitcoms Laverne & Shirley and Mork And Mindy starring the late Robin Williams.

His most famous small screen creation, Happy Days, introduced Henry Winkler as Fonzie and Ron Howard as Richie Cunningham, and ran for a decade between 1974-84.

Mr Marshall died on Tuesday night in hospital in Burbank, California after contracting pneumonia following a stroke. He is survived by his wife, Barbara and three children, Lori, Kathleen and Scott.

Winkler paid tribute to the writer-director in a tweet saying: “Larger than life, funnier than most, wise and the definition of friend”.

Howard said: “He was a world class boss & mentor whose creativity and leadership meant a ton to me.”

After writing an estimated 1,000 sitcom episodes, Mr Marshall switched his focus to the big screen with 1984’s The Flamingo Kid, a coming-of-age story starring Matt Dillon, which he wrote and directed.

He concentrated on directing with his later films, including 1986’s Nothing In Common, with Tom Hanks, Overboard (1987) starring Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell and Beaches (1988) with Bette Midler.

In 1990 Pretty Woman with Julia Roberts and Richard Gere was a smash hit, and the pair were reunited for Runaway Bride in 1999, which was also a huge success. The Princess Diaries in 2001 was another box office success.

Ashton Kutcher, who starred in the Mr Marshall’s Valentine’s Day and New Year’s Eve, also paid tribute, saying: “I lost a friend & mentor. We lost a beautiful man & masterful story teller.”

Hawn said: “Thank you Gary for Overboard and all the films you made that had humanity, humour and goodness that lifted our spirits.”

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