Penny Marshall, the beloved star of the ABC comedy “Laverne & Shirley,” died in the evening on Monday, December 17, 2018. The cause of the actress’ death was determined to be complications stemming from diabetes. Marshall was 75 years old.

Marshall was the first woman to direct a film that grossed more than $100 million, and she was only the second female director to see her film receive an Oscar nomination for best picture. Her first feature length directorial project was “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” in 1986, but it was her second outing that made her name as a director. In 1988, Marshall’s sentimental comedy “Big” grossed over $150 million worldwide and sported an Oscar nominated performance by Tom Hanks.

As an actress, Marshall is best known for her work on “Laverne & Shirley.” The show premiered in January of 1976 and was an immediate smash hit in terms of ratings. As such, people quickly began working to capitalize on the show’s popularity and generate ancillary revenue. Only a few months after the show’s debut, Marshall and Williams were asked to record an album called “Laverne & Shirley Sing.” They later performed a song from the album for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in November 1976. The song they chose to sing while riding the float was a cover of the Crystals’ hit “Da Do Ron Ron.” The show also inspired an animated series that had Marshall and Williams voicing the characters. The show came to include Fonzie and was wedded to the animated version of “Mork & Mindy.” This resulted in “The Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirely/Fonz Hour” on ABC. The show mashup inspired tie-in merchandise that included a board game, puzzles and dolls of the characters such as Laverne, Shirley, Lenny and Squiggy. Years later, Marshall would end up acting as the director of some of the episodes of “Laverne & Shirley” herself as her first attempt at directing.

In 2009, Marshall was diagnosed with lung and brain cancer. She managed, however, to make a complete recovery. Unfortunately, it was her diabetes that later caused her death. She passed away in her home and is survived by her daughter, Tracy Reiner.