Ben Stiller's mother Anne Meara has died aged 85. The death of the comedienne and actress was announced through a family statement on Sunday, the day after the star passed away. "Anne's memory lives on in the hearts of daughter Amy, son Ben, her grandchildren, her extended family and friends, and the millions she entertained as an actress, writer and comedienne," read the statement.
The announcement was made to the Associated Press by Ben and his father Jerry Stiller, who was described as Anne's "husband and partner in life". The statement continued: "The two were married for 61 years and worked together almost as long."
Further details about the death have not yet been released.Anne was born in 1929 in Brooklyn, New York, to parents of Irish-Catholic descent. She was a regular on TV and the silver screen for decades, appearing alongside her fellow comic and actor husband Jerry as one half of the comedy double-act Stiller & Meara in the Sixties and SeventiesMore recently she appeared on Sex and the City as Mary Brady - the mother of bartender Steve Brady - who was in an on-off relationship with Miranda Hobbes, played by Cynthia Nixon.
The comedy great also made a guest appearance on Will & Grace in 2001 and made a comeback with Stiller & Meara, in 2010 in a Yahoo comedy series produced in part by Hollywood star son Ben.She was nominated for numerous Emmy awards, including two for her performance on Archie Bunker's Place. Anne won a Writers Guild Award for The Other Woman, a film for TV that was shown in 1983.She and Jerry also worked on various award-winning commercials for TV and radio.Besides her husband and son, Anne is survived by her daughter, Amy, and several grandchildren.