Cindy Williams’ Life In Photos: Remember The ‘Laverne & Shirley’ Star Dead At 75

By:

Medina Lynn, Sara Whitman

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Cindy Williams Through The Years

Cindy Williams Through The Years — Cindy Williams, best known for playing Shirley Feeney on ‘Happy Days’ and ‘Laverne & Shirley’, died on Jan. 25, 2023. She was 75 years old. ‘The passing of our kind, hilarious mother, Cindy Williams, has brought us insurmountable sadness that could never truly be expressed,’ her adult children, Zachary and Emily, told the ‘Associated Press’ in a statement on Jan. 30. ‘Knowing and loving her has been our joy and privilege. She was one of a kind, beautiful, generous and possessed a brilliant sense of humor and a glittering spirit that everyone loved.’

Cindy first began acting professionally in 1969 when she snagged a spot on ABC’s ‘Room 222’. She then landed a string of commercials and eventually landed a regular role on ‘The Funny Side’, which was hosted by Gene Kelly. She notably appeared in the films ‘Drive, He Said’ (1971) and ‘Beware! The Blob’ (1972). One of the earlier films she is known for is ‘American Graffiti’, which debuted in 1973. The low-budget film was so popular that it earned itself a sequel, ‘More American Graffiti’, in 1979. The above photo shows Cindy on the set of the show.

In honor of Cindy’s impressive career, HollywoodLife has compiled shots of Cindy throughout her life. Scroll on to see the late film icon.

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Cindy Williams On The Set Of ‘Normal Life’

Cindy Williams On The Set Of ‘Normal Life’ — Cindy Williams starred as the mother of Dweezil Zappa and Moon Unit Zappa’s characters on the CBS comedy ‘Normal Life’ in 1990. It was the first major series role she landed after her kids were born.

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Cindy Williams And Telma Hopkins In ‘Getting By’

Cindy Williams And Telma Hopkins In ‘Getting By’ — Cindy Williams played Cathy Hale on ‘Getting By’ from 1993 to 1994. To her right is her co-star, Telma Hopkins.

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Cindy Williams In ‘Bingo’

Cindy Williams In ‘Bingo’ — Cindy Williams played Natalie Devlin in 1991’s ‘Bingo’. The adventurous film is about a stray circus dog who befriends a group of young boys.

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Penny Marshall And Cindy Williams For ‘Laverne & Shirley’

Penny Marshall And Cindy Williams For ‘Laverne & Shirley’ — Cindy Williams is best known for portraying Shirley Feeney on the hit ABC sitcom ‘Laverne & Shirley’ opposite Penny Marshall from 1976 to 1983. Sadly, Cindy was written out of the show after she sued Paramount for $20 million when they would not work with her pregnancy timeline. ‘When it came time for me to sign my contract for that season, they had me working on my due date to have my baby,’ she recalled on ‘TODAY’ in 2015 about the situation. ‘And I said, ‘You know, I can’t sign this.’ And it went back and forth and back and forth and it just never got worked out.’

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Cindy Williams And Bill Hudson

Cindy Williams And Bill Hudson — Cindy Williams married Bill Hudson in 1982 and had two kids with him. They are pictured here in 1994. The couple would divorce six years later.

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Hollywood Walk Of Fame Ceremony

Hollywood Walk Of Fame Ceremony — Cindy Williams was accompanied by her son Zachary (left) and daughter Emily (right) when she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2004.

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Cindy Williams’ Hollywood Walk Of Fame Ceremony

Cindy Williams’ Hollywood Walk Of Fame Ceremony — Cindy Williams shared both of her kids with Bill Hudson. Emily was born in 1982, while Zachary was welcomed to the world in 1986.

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TV Land Awards 2012

TV Land Awards 2012 — Cindy Williams smiled and waved as she posed at the TV Land Awards’ 10th Anniversary in 2012.

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Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams Get Stars On The Walk Of Fame

Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams Get Stars On The Walk Of Fame — Cindy Williams received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame with her ‘Laverne & Shirley’ partner-in-crime, Penny Marshall.

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Cindy Williams With Her Hollywood Walk Of Fame Star

Cindy Williams With Her Hollywood Walk Of Fame Star — Cindy Williams looked elated to be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She wore a white jumpsuit with a navy blue blazer. She accessorized with a layered pearl necklace and a large rose brooch.

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Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams At The National MS Society’s Dinner of Champions

Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams At The National MS Society’s Dinner of Champions — Cindy Williams and Penny Marshall smiled together at the National MS Society’s Dinner of Champions in 2003.

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Cindy Williams Join the Cast of ‘The Drowsy Chaperone’

Cindy Williams Join the Cast of ‘The Drowsy Chaperone’ — Cindy Williams joined the Broadway cast of ‘The Drowsy Chaperone’ in 2007 alongside Bob Saget. It marked Cindy’s Broadway debut. Here she is pictured at a holiday party thrown for the cast.

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Cindy Williams Visits ‘TODAY’

Cindy Williams Visits ‘TODAY’ — Cindy Williams made an appearance on the ‘TODAY’ show in 2015.

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