Actress Cindy Williams dies after starring in Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley

Cindy Williams has died at the age of 75, her family has confirmed in a sad statement.

The actress, best known for her role on Happy Days and its spin-off show Laverne & Shirley, passed away following a brief illness, her two children, Zak and Emily Hudson, said in a note released through the family's spokeswoman Liza Cranis. She died on Wednesday in Los Angeles.

The statement said: "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."

Cindy Williams and Penny Marshall on Laverne & Shirley (Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock)

Cindy portrayed the role of Shirley opposite Penny Marshall's Laverne on the popular sitcom Laverne & Shirley - a spin-off of Happy Days.

The show ran between 1976 snd 1983 and was one of ABC's most popular shows in its prime, bagging six Golden Globe nominations and one Emmy nomination in its eight-season run.

Cindy left the show during the eight season when she became pregnant.

Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams starred alongside each other in Laverne & Shirley (Snap/REX/Shutterstock)

Cindy's kids praised their 'kind, hilarious mother' in a heartfelt statement (Dave Allocca/Starpix/REX/Shutterstock)

Aside from her role on the show, she also starred in director George Lucas' American Graffiti, released in 1973, before taking up a role in 1974's The Conversation, directed by Francis Ford Coppola.

Elsewhere in an illustrious career, she starred in Travels With My Aunt and made a number of guest appearances on hit shows such as 8 Simple Rules.

She also took on projects on Broadway.

Laverne & Shirley was one of the most popular TV shows during its eight seasons (Snap/REX/Shutterstock)

Cindy was born in Los Angeles in 1947 and spent her childhood at Birmingham High School writing and performing. She was also classmates with Sally Field and Michael Ovitz.

Following the news of her death, fans and friends took to social media to pay their respects. Danny Deraney wrote: "Sad to hear the passing of Cindy Williams. If there is an afterlife, may you and Penny be pouring a Shotz beer and Milk and Pepsi with Garry, David, Eddie and Phil."

Author and comedy writer Caissie St Onge also penned: "Cindy Williams was such a comedic talent. So underrated, IMHO. Sad to hear she has passed."