Penny Marshall's Cause of Death Revealed

The comedian and director died on Dec. 17. She was 75.

 

Penny Marshall's cause of death has been revealed. 

The comedian and director died of heart failure, heart disease and complications from diabetes, according to her death certificate, obtained by ET. 

The L.A. County Coroner's Office released Marshall's death certificate on Monday, two weeks after her Dec. 17 death. A rep for Marshall told ET at the time that she died at her home in the Hollywood Hills. She was 75. 

"Our family is heartbroken over the passing of Penny Marshall," her family said in a statement to ET. "Penny was a tomboy who loved sports, doing puzzles of any kind, drinking milk and Pepsi together and being with her family.  As an actress, her work on Laverne & Shirley broke ground featuring blue-collar women entertaining America in prime time. She was a comedic natural with a photographic memory and an instinct for slapstick."

"When Penny directed Tom Hanks in the movie Big she became a pioneer as the first woman in history to helm a film that grossed more than $100 million," Marshall's family's statement continued. "She did it again with A League of Their Own. She directed many stars including Geena Davis, Robert De Niro, Whoopi Goldberg, Robin Williams, Madonna, Denzel Washington, Rosie O’Donnell and Whitney Houston. She even gave Mark Wahlberg his first acting job. Penny was a girl from the Bronx, who came out West, put a cursive 'L' on her sweater and transformed herself into a Hollywood success story. We hope her life continues to inspire others to spend time with family, work hard and make all of their dreams come true.”

Hanks mourned the director on Twitter on Tuesday. "Goodbye, Penny.  Man, did we laugh a lot!  Wish we still could," he wrote. "Love you. Hanx."

ET previously learned that a celebration of Marshall's life will be held at a later date. See more on her legacy in the video below. 

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