Actress Mary Tyler Moore died; Ellen DeGeneres, Oprah Winfrey, Kris Jenner and others pay tribute

Emmy award-winning actress Mary Tyler Moore, who revolutionised the role of women on television, passed away on January 25, her publicists confirmed. She was 80.

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Her publicist Mara Buxbaum said that Moore's friends and her third husband Robert Levine were next to her when she breathed her last in a Connecticut hospital on Wednesday. "Mary will be remembered as a fearless visionary who turned the world on with her smile," Buxbaum added.

Moore shot to fame in the 60s when she appeared in the sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show. Her fame further rose in the 70s with The Mary Tyler Moore Show for which she received five Emmy awards over the period of its seven-year run. In the 80s, she received her first Oscar nomination in the best actress category for the movie Ordinary People.

Moore was born in Brooklyn, New York, on December 29, 1936. She moved to Los Angeles at the age of eight. Moore started her career in the entertainment industry as a dancer at the age of 17. Though she appeared in a series of TV commercials for Hotpoint appliances in the 1950s, her first major break came with The Dick Van Dyke Show in 1961.

The Mary Tyler Moore Show actress became a household name and revolutionised the role of modern woman on television. Her strong on-screen character, which showed a single woman living her life and focusing on a career as well, upended the stereotype.

Moore's death came as a shock to several celebrities who took to Twitter to express condolences.

Dick Van Dyke: There are no words. She was THE BEST! We always said that we changed each other's lives for the better. I...

Ellen DeGeneres: "Mary Tyler Moore changed the world for all women. I send my love to her family."

Rose Marie: #marytylermoore I shall miss you. We had remarkable & unforgettable experiences along with @carlreiner & @iammrvandy. Rest well my friend.

Stephen Fry: A minute's silence as we remembered one of the true greats of TV comedy.

Kevin Smith: TV [and] film star, tireless defender of animals, and scourge of diabetes. Truly she turned the world on with her smile.

Oprah Winfrey: Even now looking at this picture I want to cry. I still can't believe Mary Tyler Moore touched my face. Will love her 4 ever.

Kris Jenner: A true beauty, a screen legend and pioneer for women, you will be so greatly missed, Mary Tyler Moore.