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Teri Garr — famous for her roles in Young Frankenstein, Tootsie and Mr. Mom — has died. She was 79 years old. The late actress’ death was confirmed by her manager, Marc Gurvitz, to CNN on Tuesday, October 29. The news comes nearly 20 years after Teri shared her Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis.
During a 2002 interview with CNN, Teri explained her battle with MS. After she had visited 11 doctors for inexplicable pain, she noted that there was “not a lot of information out there about” MS and that “a lot of people don’t know that it’s not that bad.”
“I mean, I’m going on with my life,” Teri said at the time. “I think now the good news is that there’s a lot of good medicines out there and options for people.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Teri recalled when she felt pain in her body.
“Starting many years ago, I would run, jog in the park, and I just started tripping,” she said. “It was just, like, my toe. I would start to trip, and then, that would go away. Then, I would get some tingling in my arm. And I went to one doctor who said, ‘Oh, this is an orthopedic problem.’ … I called my brother in L.A. who is a doctor and he said, ‘You know, get another opinion.’ So, I went to a neurologist. And he said, ‘Yes, it’s a pinched nerve.’”
Multiple Sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that affects the brain, per Mayo Clinic. The illness can lead to permanent damage of the nerve fibers in the central nervous system. There is currently near cure for MS, but various treatments are available.
After being misdiagnosed several times, Teri eventually learned that she was living with MS. During her CNN interview, the late Academy Award nominee pointed out that she was “in denial” about her condition, noting that she came “from a show business family” and was accustomed to denial.
Teri’s parents were a part of showbiz. Her father, Eddie Garr, worked as a vaudeville performer, an actor and a comedian, while her mother, Phyllis Lind Garr, was a Rockette. After graduating from North Hollywood High School, Teri started auditioning and gradually found work as an actress and a dancer.