Cindy Williams, actor best known for her role as Shirley in ‘Laverne & Shirley,’ dies at 75

Actor Cindy Williams, best known for her role in the “Laverne & Shirley” TV sitcom, has died at 75, her family said Monday.

Williams died peacefully Wednesday at her home in Los Angeles after a short illness, her children said in a statement released by family spokesperson Liza Cranis said.

“The passing of our kind, hilarious mother, Cindy Williams, has brought us insurmountable sadness that could never truly be expressed,” they said in the statement.

“Knowing and loving her has been our joy and privilege,” the statement said. “She was one of a kind, beautiful, generous and possessed a brilliant sense of humor and a glittering spirit that everyone loved.”

Williams starred as Shirley Feeney opposite of Penny Marshall, who played Laverne DeFazio, in the popular “‘Laverne & Shirley” series, which ran from 1976 to 1983.