Who was Teri Garr married to? All about her husband and daughter as Tootsie star passes away at 79

Well-known actress Teri Garr, 79, has died on October 29, 2024. She gained recognition for her performances in films like Tootsie and Ghost World. Garr was married to John O'Neil, a building contractor, which eventually ended in divorce in 1996. They both share a daughter, Molly, who was born in 1993.

In a statement to People magazine, Teri's publicist, Heidi Schaeffer, announced that Teri died after a long battle with multiple sclerosis, surrounded by friends and family. She was diagnosed with the disease in 2002. Besides being an actress, Teri was also a ballet expert and incorporated dance into some of her early films. Additionally, she authored an autobiography titled Speedbumps: Flooring It Through Hollywood.

During the initial phase of her career, Teri Garr mostly portrayed minor roles in films such as Viva Las Vegas and Red Line 7000 in the 60s. However, she was able to grab better opportunities on television, where she was cast as different characters in The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour.

Actor Cary Elwes shared a video on his Instagram page, featuring a few glimpses of Teri Garr. He wrote below the post:

"I was a huge fan from the moment I saw Young Frankenstein and was honored to meet her at the Anniversary. She was as gracious and funny as I had hoped."

Notably, Teri's health issue was a reason she decided to take retirement in 2001. Actress Lisa Kudrow recently spoke to People magazine, recalling the time she shared with Garr while working on the show Friends. Garr was featured as Phoebe Abbott in three episodes of the sitcom and Kudrow praised her by calling her a "comedic acting genius."

Teri had several popular shows in her credits, including Saturday Night Live!, Jeopardy!, Sesame Street, and Hollywood Squares.

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Teri Garr's ex-husband always maintained a distance from the spotlight: Personal life and other details explained

The Los Angeles, California native accumulated a huge fanbase from her flawless performances over the years. Even though she left the entertainment industry a long time ago, her characters remained popular among the audience.

Unlike Teri, John preferred to stay out of the spotlight, so not much is known about his early life, career, or education.

The pair divorced due to irreconcilable differences and Teri was reportedly seeking "pre- and post-separation earnings" alongside the properties obtained through inheritance or gift, as per Deseret News. While addressing her family life in her memoir, Teri Garr said that everything was fine and added:

"My friendships and business relations may have been imperfect, but what was most important was that John, Molly and I were a family. My life with them was worth everything. I knew if I had a bad day, I would go home and there would be this sweet little thing waiting there, just for me."

Just like her father, Molly has never revealed anything about her life and is not active on social media. She is the mother of a son named Tyryn and appeared alongside her mother on different multiple sclerosis benefits many years ago.

During a conversation with The National Inquirer in 2002, John addressed his daughter's support at the time when Teri Garr was battling her disease. He called Molly "the most wonderful child in the world" and added:

"Molly is gold – she means the world to us. We are luckiest two people in the world to have this child. The only thing that is important is raising our daughter."

Molly and her son Tyryn are the only survivors of Teri.