Actress Mary Tyler Moore died Wednesday at a hospital in the U.S. state of Connecticut from complications of diabetes, from which she had suffered for years, her publicist said. She was 80.

The vivacious actress, who starred for years in a popular television sitcom bearing her name, had needed respiratory assistance during the week prior to her death, local media reported.

“Today, beloved icon, Mary Tyler Moore, passed away at the age of 80 in the company of friends and her loving husband of over 33 years, Dr. S. Robert Levine,” read the statement from long-time publicist Mara Buxbaum.

“A groundbreaking actress, producer, and passionate advocate for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Mary will be remembered as a fearless visionary who turned the world on with her smile,” Buxbaum added.

Before starring in “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” from 1970-1977, a role for which she won three Emmy Awards, the actress – well-known for her impeccable comedic timing, wholesomeness and endearing vulnerability – made a name for herself on “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” for which she won two more Emmy’s in 1964 and 1966.

Moore was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 33 and in the years since then spent much time promoting education about the disease.

The actress also confessed in two autobiographies that she had also suffered from alcoholism.

Co-starring with Dick Van Dyke on the show bearing his name, Moore played Laura Petrie, the wife of comedy writer Rob Petrie (Van Dyke), a role that was a key advancement in the portrayal of women on television.

“The Mary Tyler Moore Show” was one of the first U.S. television shows to deal with such issues as equal pay for women, divorce, infidelity, homosexuality, premarital sex, addiction and infertility. In it, Moore played Mary Richards, a single career woman in a Minneapolis newsroom and was accompanied in the role by an outstanding ensemble cast. EFE