The beloved actress died Jan. 25 following a short illness. She was 75.
Cindy Williams' Happy Days co-stars, Don Most and Anson Williams, are remembering their friend and colleague after her shocking death. ET spoke with the pair, where they reflected on their last meeting with the late actress.
"The last time -- she and Anson Williams, who played Potsie, and myself, we surprised Ron Howard at an event," Most recalled. "It was about nine months ago. He and his brother were doing a speaking engagement about their book that they'd written together called The Boys, and he didn't know we were gonna be there, so, we were there to surprise him, and Cindy was there. It was the last time I got to speak with her."
"It's so sad, really sad," Most, who played Ralph Malph on the '70s sitcom, added.
Williams too had fond memories of that moment, telling ET's Kevin Frazier that their meeting with Howard was filled with laughter.
"The whole room was just laughing and enjoying amazing energy, and fun Cindy," Williams shared.
Most and Williams were first introduced to Cindy on the set of Happy Days, where she played Howard's love interest. When it came to working with Cindy, both agreed that her talent was undeniable.
"I just remember how great they were together. I mean, this was the first time they'd worked together, and they came in and it was just like this energy level just went up to the roof when the two of them started doing their scene," Most said of working alongside Cindy and her Laverne & Shirley co-star, Penny Marshall, on Happy Days. "And I had some interaction with them, more Penny than Cindy, but I just remember sitting there, and my part in that episode was watching, and like, getting a big kick out of seeing these two characters. And, I didn't have to act. I mean, it was amazing to watch the two of them."
"And then, we found out pretty shortly after, 'Oh, they got their own show now,'" he added of Cindy's starring role on the Happy Days spinoff, Laverne & Shirley.
Williams was just as starstruck meeting Cindy, who was fresh off George Lucas' American Graffiti.
"I was a bit intimidated because I had seen The Conversation that [Francis Ford] Coppola directed, and she was a movie star, American Graffiti, and 'Oh my gosh, here’s Cindy Williams,' and basically, here's Cindy: 'I’m gonna get a cup of coffee. Do you want one?' I go, 'Yeah, sure, fine.' 'Want cream?' 'Yeah, that’d be great.' 'All right.' And she'd bring you back your coffee. I mean, that was the beginning of our relationship, just down-home friend, along with amazing talent," Williams remembered.
"One thing that I remember right away, when we were doing that particular episode, was her talent," he added of Cindy's Happy Days debut. "She really made Shirley her own, she put her stamp on it, and I was in awe watching that talent, along with Penny."
As for what Williams said he'll miss most about the late actress and his longtime friend, he said it would have to be their conversations over the years.
"I would miss just our conversations, our special moments. We were doing an autograph show in Michigan, and it was a two-hour break, and we went to the Mackinac Island, which is that little, little island where there's no vehicles, there's just horses. And, the hotel where Somewhere in Time was filmed was on that island, and Cindy says, 'Let's go.' I said, 'What do you mean go?' 'We got two hours, let's go!' We run down, we got on the steamboat, took about 20 minutes to get there, we run up to the grand hotel, sit outside where one of the scenes was filmed. 'You gotta order the wine.' We order a wine, we sit there and we're in the same scene," Williams recounted. "We finish the wine. She goes, 'OK, we gotta go.' Back to the boat, and back to the show. We made it right in time to continue signing autographs. That was Cindy -- spontaneous, fun, adventurous and your best friend."
For his part, Most said his favorite moments with Cindy would have to be their time onstage together in the play Middletown, at Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, Pennsylvania in 2019.
"We were onstage every night for 90 minutes, and we did the play in a couple different cities, so, those are my memories that I’ll remember most," Most said.
Cindy died on Jan. 25 following a short illness. Her family spokesperson, Liza Cranis, confirmed the news to ET on Monday before sharing a statement from Cindy's children, Emily and Zak Hudson.
"The passing of our kind, hilarious mother, Cindy Williams, has brought us insurmountable sadness that could never truly be expressed. Knowing and loving her has been our joy and privilege. She was one of a kind, beautiful, generous and possessed a brilliant sense of humor and a glittering spirit that everyone loved," the statement read. "We have always been, and will remain, SO proud of her for many things...her lifelong mission to rescue animals, her prolific artistry, her faith, and most of all, her ability to make the world laugh!"
"May that laughter continue in everyone, because she would want that. Thank you for loving our Mom, she loved you too," the statement continued.
For more on the late actress' life and legacy, check out the gallery below.
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