Mary Tyler Moore is remembering her former husband, TV giant and ex-NBC chairman and CEO Grant Tinker, who died Tuesday at age 90.
Moore and Tinker were married from 1962-81.
“I am deeply saddened to learn that my former husband and professional mentor Grant Tinker has passed away,” Moore said in a statement.
“I’m forever grateful for and proud of what we achieved together with the creation of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and founding of MTM Enterprises (an independent production studio that created what remain some of the best TV shows ever made). Grant was a brilliant, driven executive who uniquely understood that the secret to great TV content was freedom for its creators and performing artists. This was manifest in his “first be best and then be first” approach. He lived life to the fullest in his nearly 91 years and he left an indelible mark on the television industry and its audiences. My thoughts are with his four children, John, Mark, Michael and Jodie.”
The groundbreaking Mary Tyler Moore Show, which aired from 1970-77 on CBS, earned three consecutive Emmy awards for Outstanding Comedy Series (1975–77). The series broke the mold, featuring the first single, independent career woman as the central character.
