Garry Marshall’s sister has praised him for giving her "a life".
The 81-year-old director – who died in July – gave Penny Marshall her big break in ‘The Odd Couple’, and she was catapulted to bigger success in another of his shows, ‘Happy Days’ spin-off ‘Laverne & Shirley’, and she’ll always be grateful for his helping hand.
She said: "My brother gave me a life. It’s not many people who have a brother who give them a life. He gave me a life and I appreciate it and I tried to not let him down."
Penny is to star in an ‘Odd Couple’ tribute episode alongside her former ‘Laverne & Shirley’ co-star Cindy Williams.
And Cindy admits she initially thought it was a "joke" when her pal told her just how ill her brother was.
She recalled to ‘Entertainment Tonight’: "Penny called me. She said, ‘Garry’s sick. I think he’s dying.’ I didn’t believe her. I thought it was a joke. That night he passed, and someone brought me this picture of Penny, me and Garry and Henry [Winkler]. It was at the Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony and I just burst out crying."
Current ‘Odd Couple’ star Thomas Lennon is still stunned he could count Garry as a friend.
He wept as he said: "If you could go back somehow and tell the childhood version of myself that the creator of ‘Happy Days’ and ‘Laverne & Shirley’ would be my friend, I would never have believed it.
"Excuse me. I am Irish. I cry a ton."
The tribute episode will see Oscar (Matthew Perry) reconnecting with people from his father Walter’s life as he prepares to scatter his ashes behind the candy factory his dad – who was played by Garry – used to own.
Ron Howard, Marion Ross, Anson Williams, Don Most and Pam Dawber will also guest star on the episode, which airs on November 7.
Garry Marshall praised by sister
