'Whisper in her ear that it's okay to go': Carl Reiner reveals what he told actress Mary Tyler Moore's husband the day before she died 

  • Carl Reiner spoke to Mary Tyler Moore's husband the day before she died
  • Dick Van Dyke Show creator told him to whisper in her ear that it was okay to go
  • Moore died on Wednesday in Connecticut hospital from cardiopulmonary arrest
  • Reiner said he last saw the actress at an event where he noticed her poor health 

By Emily Crane and Regina F. Graham For Dailymail.com

Published: 10:55 EST, 27 January 2017 | Updated: 11:18 EST, 27 January 2017

Carl Reiner has revealed he spoke to the husband of his long-time friend and colleague Mary Tyler Moore the day before she died. 

Still coming to terms with the loss, the creator of The Dick Van Dyke Show told ET that he spoke to Moore's husband of 33 years Robert Levine to pass on some loving words before she passed away on Wednesday.

'I remember telling him: "She may not hear you, but whisper in her ear that it's okay to go. You can go",' he said.

Carl Reiner, the creator of The Dick Van Dyke Show, told Mary Tyler Moore's husband the day before she died that he should whisper in her ear that it was okay to go. Reiner and Moore are pictured above in 2012

The television icon died at the age of 80 from cardiopulmonary arrest after she contracted pneumonia.

Moore, an Emmy award-winning actress, was surrounded by family members who quickly flocked to say their goodbyes at a Connecticut hospital.

Reiner was unable to be by her side but told ET the last time the pair saw each other was at a public event where Moore seemed well, but he could tell her health was deteriorating. 

'She had this childhood diabetes and had lost her sight, practically all of it,' he said.

'I came up to her and she was looking at me and she wasn't recognizing me until I spoke and then she lit up. I realized she couldn't see me and that was very sad. 

Moore died on on Wednesday surrounded by family, including her cardiologist husband of 33 years Robert Levine. They are pictured above together in 2008

The Emmy award-winning actress (pictured in 1975) died surrounded by family members who quickly flocked to say their goodbyes at a Connecticut hospital

Reiner and Moore's friendship dates back to when she was a 20-something actress. They are pictured in 1964 at an awards ceremony in Hollywood

The 94-year-old said Moore spent her last months at her home with hospice people around and those close to her knew she didn't have much time left.

'We had known about it for a while, but you're never not shocked. When I turned on the television and learned Mary had gone, it was a shock,' he said.

Celebrity tributes rolled in for Moore when news of her death spread. 

Her famed co-star Dick Van Dyke said: 'There are no words. She was THE BEST! We always said that we changed each other's lives for the better.'

Oprah Winfrey said she will 'love her forever' as she remembered her heroine, who moved her to tears when they met on her show in 1997. 

The longtime actress, who gained fame in the 1960s as the frazzled wife Laura Petrie on 'The Dick Van Dyke Show', had been on a respirator for more than a week. 

Television icon Mary Tyler Moore died aged 80. She was first reported to be in 'grave condition' at a hospital in Connecticut on Wednesday. She is pictured above in 2013

The actress, who is well known for her role on ' The Dick Van Dyke Show', had a long battle with diabetes after being diagnosed with disease at age 33. She is pictured above with Dick Van Dyke in 1961

Moore suffered from a number of health problems and her condition 'had become critical' recently.

The actress, who won seven Emmy awards over the years and was nominated for an Oscar for her 1980 portrayal of an affluent mother whose son is accidentally killed in 'Ordinary People,' had a long battle with diabetes.

She was first diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 1966 at the age of 33, which is the same year of the last season she played Laura Petrie on 'The Dick Van Dyke Show'.

The New York native went on to play the groundbreaking role as Mary Richards on 'The Mary Tyler Moore' show from 1970 to 197, where she portrayed a single career woman working in a Minneapolis TV newsroom.

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