The entertainment industry has suffered yet another big loss this year with the passing of Penny Marshall.
Celebrity news website TMZ reports that the actress, comedian, and director died peacefully on Monday night at her home in Hollywood Hills. She was 75.
Her publicist, Michelle Bega, confirmed the unfortunate news, revealing that the film icon died from "complications of diabetes."
"Yes she did (die) ... peacefully at her Hollywood Hills home," Bega said. "She passed away from complications from diabetes."
Marshall made history when she directed the Tom Hanks film Big in 1988. In a male-dominated industry, she became the first woman to ever direct a film that grossed more than $100 million.
She was only the second woman director to have her film nominated for best picture.
The Bronx-born entertainer also broke records just four years later with A League Of Their Own. She also directed Jumpin' Jack Flash, the Oscar-nominated film Awakenings, starring the late Robin Williams, Renaissance Man, and The Preacher's Man.
But before sitting in the director's chair, Marshall made a name for herself as an actress who found success on the 70s sitcom Laverne and Shirley. She also took on modeling gigs and booked small roles in shows like The Odd Couple and The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
"I can't act that well, but I can sell a bit," she told The New Yorker in 2012 while promoting her memoir My Mother Was Nuts. "It's partly the way I talk, but I'm also good with business "” going through my purse, looking for my glasses, lighting a cigarette."
Following decades of accomplishments, Marshall took a step back and only directed one feature film after 1996. She made cameo appearances in films like Get Shorty and Blonde Ambition, and produced Cinderella Man, Bewitched, and episodes of the sitcom According to Jim.
Marshall, who was once married to actor and director Rob Reiner, kept a low profile since, and a lung cancer diagnosis that metastasized to her brain kept her even further away from the spotlight.
In 2012, she confirmed that she beat cancer and was in remission.
Marshall is survived by her daughter Tracy and her sister Ronny Hallin, who is also a director.
