On Wednesday, Jan. 25, the Associated Press reported that heartbreaking news that Mary Tyler Moore has died, leaving behind a truly monumental legacy. The revolutionary TV star that put the life of a professional woman on screen when such a thing hadn't been seen by the public very often in recent years. And, though Mary Tyler Moore gave her final interview back in October 2015, it is a fitting way to remember her. The interview was part of the PBS Special Mary Tyler Moore: A Celebration, which is available to be purchased and streamed in full on YouTube.
Along with interviews conducted by Moore herself, Mary Tyler Moore: A Celebration also features interviews from her contemporaries, including Dick Van Dyke and Betty White, and influential figures in media, like Tina Fey and Oprah Winfrey, who were moved by The Mary Tyler Moore Show. The special also covers Moore's beginnings as a comedian, her film collaborations with Elvis Presley, and later projects like her Golden Globe-winning dramatic turn in the film Ordinary People.
In the special, Moore takes great sense of pride when talking about her most iconic role, Mary Richards in The Mary Tyler Moore Show. She said that she "didn't feel that separate from the character," and talked about how, while others involved with the show eventually wanted to move on after its seven-year run, she "was still just having a marvelous time, and didn't really want to leave."
While Moore may not have intended to leave a political mark on the world, the visibility of a woman on television that was as professional as she was hilarious paved the way for countless women since and undeniably changed television for the better. The loss of Mary Tyler Moore has taken a great talent away from the world, but the legacy she left won't be going away any time soon.
