Watch Oprah’s Mary Tyler Moore Meltdown From 1997 (Video)

Winfrey freaked out over surprise meeting with her TV idol

| January 25, 2017 @ 1:57 PM Last Updated: January 25, 2017 @ 3:14 PM

Oprah Winfrey doesn’t like surprises. That’s because she’s known to freak out. Big time.

Case in point: In 1997, Winfrey’s show producers shocked the daytime host with an unannounced visit from her longtime television idol Mary Tyler Moore. (See Oprah lose her sh– at the 2:42 mark in the video above.)

But before she bawled her eyes out and flailed her arms in excitement over her surprise guest, Winfrey tossed to an adorable reenactment of “The Mary Tyler Moore” intro — famed hat toss and all.

Also Read: How Mary Tyler Moore Changed TV's Dress Code for Women... by Wearing Pants

“I wanted to be Mary Tyler Moore,” Winfrey said, explaining the intense level of her fandom. “I wanted to live where Mary lived, I wanted Mr. Grant in my life, I wanted my boss to act like that, I wanted Ted,” she added.

Once Moore hit the stage, a rattled Winfrey told the feminist icon of TV: “You have no idea what you’ve meant to me… I just want to say, there’s many times in our lives when there are those of us who only had the television for inspiration, and you were one of those women who was a light. You know, Maya Angelou says there are some people who have a certain way of being in this world, and that’s what you brought to this character.”

Also Read: 11 Classic Shows You Didn't Know Mary Tyler Moore Was Involved With Behind the Scenes (Photos)

Six-time Emmy-winning Moore died at the age 80 on Wednesday following a bout of pneumonia, according to her family.

She was best known for her starring roles in “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” her Oscar-winning turn in the film “Ordinary People,” and, of course, “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.”

Mary Tyler Moore's 11 Best Roles, From 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' to 'Flirting With Disaster' (Photos)

  • Mary Tyler Moore Show CBS
  • The Dick Van Dyke Show Mary Tyler Moore CBS
  • Throroughly Modern Millie Mary Tyler Moore Universal
  • Change of Habit Mary Tyler Moore Universal
  • Mary Tyler Moore Show CBS
  • Rhoda Mary Tyler Moore CBS
  • Ordinary People Mary Tyler Moore Paramount
  • Mary Mary Tyler Moore CBS
  • Stolen Babies Mary Tyler Moore Lifetime
  • Flirting With Disaster mary tyler moore Miramax
  • That 70s Show Mary Tyler Moore Fox
  • Hot in Cleveland Mary Tyler Moore TV Land
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Legendary actress died on Wednesday at the age of 80

Mary Tyler Moore passed away on Wednesday at the age of 80 after a long, successful career, which included seven Emmy Awards, an Oscar nomination and roles on two of the most iconic TV sitcoms of all time.

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