With Betty White's death, The Mary Tyler Moore Show lost 6 major figures in 2021

Variety

The year 2021 was a tough one for The Mary Tyler Moore Show -- White's death on Dec. 31 marked the loss of the fourth major cast member on the iconic show and the sixth major figure overall. Cloris Leachman and The Mary Tyler Moore co-creator Allan Burns died days apart in January 2021, Gavin MacLeod died in May and Ed Asner passed away in August. Longtime Mary Tyler Moore director Jay Sandrich, who won two Emmys in five nominations for the iconic show, died in September. "The coincidental timing of the losses of these legends underscores the passage of time for the network television business," says Variety's Cynthia Littleton. "Mary Tyler Moore, All in the Family, MASH” and other early 1970s shows ushered in the era of big ensemble comedy hits destined to endure as classics of the form. TV historian Tim Brooks has dubbed this period the 'relevance era,' representing a backlash to the fantasy escapism of 1960s comedy hits such as Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie. Mary Tyler Moore was endowed from the start with a powerhouse cast, most of whom were also blessed with powerhouse genes." Mary Tyler Moore Show co-creator James L. Brooks tells Variety that the loss of so many collaborators made for a hard year but he emphasized that he mourned them as individuals and treasured collaborators. “I think of each one of them specifically,” says brooks. “I don’t think of this as a list.” As for Betty White, Brooks adds: “She was a writer’s dream. She was just a godsend to the series when it happened. She relished the part and the part relished her.”