Mary Tyler Moore deeply saddened by Grant Tinker's death

Following the death of Grant Tinker, actress Mary Tyler Moore released a statement on Wednesday, paying tribute to her former husband.

“I am deeply saddened to learn that my former husband and professional mentor Grant Tinker has passed away,” said Moore.

Tinker, who died on Monday at the age of 90, helped Moore establish MTM Enterprises, the production company behind her titular sitcom, with her serving as chairman, and he as company president.

“I’m forever grateful for and proud of what we achieved together with the creation of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and founding of MTM Enterprises (an independent production studio that created what remain some of the best TV shows ever made),” continued Moore in her statement.

She went on to say: “Grant was a brilliant, driven executive who uniquely understood that the secret to great TV content was freedom for its creators and performing artists. This was manifest in his ‘first be best and then be first’ approach. He lived life to the fullest in his nearly 91 years and he left an indelible mark on the television industry and its audiences. My thoughts are with his four children, John, Mark, Michael and Jodie.”

The Mary Tyler Moore show ran from 1970 to 1977.