PETA has released the following statement on the animal activism of Mary Tyler Moore, who passed away this week.
“Mary will be missed not only for her comedic talent but also for her advocacy for animals,” said PETA Senior Vice President Dan Mathews, who worked closely with Mary Tyler Moore on her PETA campaigns. “Mary was the first star to donate her furs for PETA to use in protests and famously helped us release a 65-year-old lobster from a restaurant tank back into the ocean. She promoted animal adoption, hosted PETA’s video exposé of the abuse of horses for the drug Premarin, and believed that future generations would be shocked by the thought of eating meat.”
Mary Tyler Moore also co-founded Broadway Barks – annual animal charity event held in New York City to promote the adoption of shelter animals – with Bernadette Peters, and served as the International chairperson of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International.
The JDRF has released the following statement:
“Mary was an American treasure who lit up the screen with her endearing performances that made her beloved by millions,” said Derek Rapp, president and CEO of JDRF. “But for those of us whose lives have been impacted by this terrible disease, it was her off-stage role as a person living with T1D that will be her most enduring legacy. Mary was a champion for our cause and on behalf of the entire JDRF family and T1D community, we offer our deepest gratitude and heartfelt condolences to her family and her husband, S. Robert Levine, M.D., who is also a true friend of JDRF.”
Mary Tyler Moore was first diagnosed with T1D at the age of 33, and in 1984 she became the international chairman of JDRF. Her relentless pursuit to achieve a world without T1D impacted countless lives and helped accelerate JDRF’s research and progress toward finding a cure, while also allowing the organization to focus on the development and delivery of transformational therapies for all those living with T1D.
Lending her name and her voice to the movement, Mary Tyler Moore advocated to Congress, increased public awareness, and helped raise billions of dollars to fund scientific advances in research that today are helping to remove the impact of T1D from people’s lives.
JDRF has established a special tribute site at MooreForever.org to honor and celebrate the life of Mary Tyler Moore. MooreForever.org provides a community for Mary’s fans and those impacted by T1D to share their affection, memories and appreciation.
“I want to invite everyone who knew and loved Mary to join us in leaving a remembrance in her honor at MooreForever.org,” said Rapp. “Together we can celebrate everything she is, was, and always will be.”
