Mary Tyler Moore Statue Creator Dies
Mary Tyler Moore died on January 25th. Ironically, 2 days later, the artist who cast the famous statue of Mary Tyler Moore died as well.
The famous bronze statue of Mary Tyler Moore throwing her hat along Nicollet Avenue in Downtown Minneapolis was created in 2002 by Gwendolyn Gillen, a Wisconsin resident. Gillen died on January 27th, which was 2 days after Mary Tyler Moore died.
Gwendolyn Gillen was ill for some time and was in hospice care in Madison Wisconsin when she died at the age of 76.
The Mary Tyler Moore sculpture is her most well-known piece of work. She got the opportunity to create the sculpture after being chosen out of 21 people who applied, to create a sculpture that TV Land was planning to dedicate in Minneapolis.
After Mary Tyler Moore died, over 150 people threw their hats near the statue on Nicollet Mall in memory of her.
The statue is temporarily located at the Minneapolis Visitor Center while reconstruction is going on at Nicollet Mall.
Source: Journal Sentinal