When I was stranded in Wisconsin during a rather low-point in my life, I had one woman I knew I could turn to: Mary Tyler Moore.

I spent hours sitting in front of my laptop watching episode after episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show being comforted by her smile, her charm and her radicalism.

Mary Tyler Moore has passed away today at the age of 80, and it feels a tiny bit like losing a friend. She was a warm blanket that will live on in her work. I’ll be endlessly grateful for her.

“Pain nourishes your courage. You have to fail in order to practice being brave.” – Mary Tyler Moore 1936-2017