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RIPDick Van Dyke, Oprah Winfrey and More Stars React to Mary Tyler Moore’s Death

We’ll miss you, Mary Tyler Moore.

Following the TV icon’s tragic death at age 80 on Wednesday, Jan. 25, many stars — including Dick Van Dyke, Oprah Winfrey, and more — spoke out about Mary, her career and friendship.

Dick — who co-starred with Mary on The Dick Van Dyke Show — recalled first meeting the actress in the late 1950s. “She was 23-years-old, gorgeous of course, and had a kind of mid-Atlantic accent. She sounded a little bit like Katharine Hepburn,” the 91-year-old actor told the Hollywood Reporter.

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“My first question was, ‘Can this girl do comedy?’ After that I said, ‘She’s a little young for me.’ I got to be on hand and watch her grow into the talent she became. She was just the best… That show was the best five years of my life,” he said. Mary portrayed Dick’s character’s wife on the hit series from 1961 until 1966.

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Mary and Dick on The Dick Van Dyke Show in 1969.

“In 2012, I got to present her with her SAG Life Achievement award… Outside of her family, I don’t think there was anyone more proud of her than I was,” Dick continued. “Just to watch her grow was such a thrill for me. She left an imprint on television comedy.”

In the hours after Mary’s passing, Oprah similarly revealed The Mary Tyler Moore Show star “majorly influenced” her life and career.

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“I respected and admired her business acumen, her passion and compassion for all life, and most importantly, the values espoused through her storytelling. I thank her for being a light that shined so brightly, it let me see myself in her,” the 62-year-old media mogul told People.

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Oprah with Mary on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1997.

Oprah broke down in tears while speaking to [Entertainment Tonight](http://www.etonline.com/news/208532exclusiveoprahwinfreybreaksdowntearsovermarytylermooredeathshepavedtheway/)_ about when Mary once surprised her on The Oprah Winfrey Show in the late 1990s.

“[That] moment… was a life-changing moment for many reasons. First of all, it’s the time I coined the ugly cry. And I went into double, triple overtime. After that I said, ‘Never again!'” Oprah recalled.

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“I called all my producers together — and that was in 1997 – I said, ‘Never again will I be surprised on the show, and if I’m ever surprised on the show, it will cost whoever produced that show their job.’ Because I could not speak, hear or think!” she added.

Click through the gallery below to see more stars’ reactions to Mary’s passing.