Knowing and loving her has been our joy and privilege.
The show was also well known for its theme song and the title characters' matching monogrammed sweaters.
Though Williams was beloved most for the sitcom, she worked across television, film, and theater.
Cindy Williams in 1985.Bob Riha, Jr./Getty
Cynthia Jane Williams was born Aug. 22, 1947, in Los Angeles.
Her breakout role came oppositeMaggie Smithin George Cukor’sTravels With My Aunt.
Williams was reportedly one of the many actresses to audition for the role of Princess Leia inStar Wars.
Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams on ‘Laverne & Shirley’.Silver Screen Collection/Getty
While there, Marshall’s brother, Garry, approached them about appearing onHappy Days.
Williams left the series early in its eighth and final season when she became pregnant with her first child.
In 2013, she reunited with Penny Marshallon Nickelodeon’sSam & Cat.
Williams made her Broadway debut in 2007, taking over as the daffy Mrs. Tottendale inThe Drowsy Chaperone.
More recently she completed a national tour of her one-woman showMe, Myself, and Shirley.
She published a memoir Shirley, I Jest!, which she co-wrote with Dave Smitherman in 2015.
Williams was married to Bill Hudson, of musical trio the Hudson Brothers, from 1982 to 2000.
She is survived by their two children.
