Friends star Teri Garr dies aged 79 from multiple sclerosis

Fans of Friends are facing another loss a year on from the tragic death of Matthew Perry, who played Chandler Bing in the hit sitcom. On October 29, 2024, it was announced that Teri Garr, who played Phoebe Buffay’s birth mother on Friends died at the age of 79.

As per The Independent, Garr’s publicist, Heidi Schaeffer, shared the sad news and revealed the star was ‘surrounded by family and friends’.

Garr has faced several health issues in her life. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1999 but didn't publicly speak about it until 2002 to raise awareness, and in 2007 she had an operation to repair an aneurysm, per BBC News.

As tributes to the actor pour in, let’s take a look at Teri Garr’s career, as well as the touching tribute from her on-screen daughter, Lisa Kudrow.

A loving tribute from Lisa Kudrow

As mentioned above, one of Teri Garr’s roles was in Friends, where she played Phoebe Buffay’s mother. Kudrow was one of the first to pay her respects to the actress and had said she was a ‘comedic acting genius’, and had a ‘huge influence’ on her.

Teri Garr was a comedic acting genius who was and is a huge influence on me and I know I’m not alone in that. I feel so lucky and grateful I got to work with Teri Garr.

Mel Brooks, the director of Young Frankenstein, another of Teri Garr’s most well-known works also paid his respects to the actress, saying Garr was ‘so talented and so funny’.

Her humour and lively spirit made the Young Frankenstein set a pleasure to work on. Her 'German' accent had us all in stitches!

A look into Teri Garr’s career

As per The Independent, Teri Garr was ‘destined for show business’ as her father, Eddie Garr was a well-known vaudeville comedian and her mother, Phyllis Lind, was one of the original high-kicking Rockettes at New York’s Radio City Music Hall.

At the age of 16, Teri joined the road company of West Side Story in Los Angeles and from 1963, she started appearing in films. Thanks to her dance education, she found work dancing in films and appeared in the chorus of nine Elvis Presley films, including Viva Las Vegas, Roustabout and Clambake.

Teri’s first big break was in 1974 when she played Gene Hackman’s girlfriend in The Conversation. Thanks to an interview with Mel Brooks, she landed the role of Gene Wilder’s German lab assistant in 1974’s Young Frankenstein. As per The Independent, Mel Brooks had told Garr he would hire her if she could speak with a German accent.

From then on, Teri Garr’s career continued to grow. Even though Teri was best known for comedy, she also starred in some more serious roles, including Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Black Stallion and The Escape Artist.

Teri Garr first starred in Friends in 1997 for the season 3 finale. As per People, she appeared in a total of 3 episodes in the popular sitcom. Despite starring in the episodes, Garr’s performance was memorable due to her storyline.

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Sources used:

BBC News: ‘Lisa Kudrow pays tribute to Friends mother Teri Garr’

The Independent: ‘Teri Garr death: Young Frankenstein and Friends star dies at 79’

People: ‘Lisa Kudrow Remembers Late Friends Mom Teri Garr as a 'Comedic Acting Genius' Who Had a 'Huge Influence on Me' (Exclusive)’