Richie Meeker: How Did Mary Tyler Moore’s Son Die?

Richie Meeker is the son of American actress, producer, and social advocate Mary Tyler Moore. Richie’s mother is a recipient of several accolades including seven Primetime Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. She was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Richie Meeker: Bio Summary

Who Is Mary Tyler Moore’s Son, Richie?

Richard Carleton Meeker Jr. who was born on 3 July 1956, in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, USA, was the son of Mary Tyler Moore and her first husband Richard Meeker. His mother was an actress, producer, and activist while his father was a salesman. Richard is the only child of his parents.

Richard Carleton “Richie” Meeker Jr’s parents were married on August 25, 1955. At the time his parents got married, his mother was 18 years old while his father was 28 years old. They were married until they got divorced on February 23, 1962. Richard became the stepson of television producer and executive Grant Tinker.

Richie Meeker became Grant’s stepson after Grant and his mother Mary Tyler Moore got married. Grant and Mary’s marriage ended in divorce. Richie’s paternal grandparents are Carleton Ludlow Meeker and Lillian Ross. His maternal grandparents are Marjorie (née Hackett) and George Tyler Moore, a clerk.

Richie Meeker didn’t get much attention from his mother Mary Tyler Moore who was often busy with work. Mary had little time for her only child Richie. Mary took the blame and admitted that “I demanded a lot of Richie. I was responsible for a lot of alienation.” In her 1995 memoir, After All, Mary disclosed that:

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“There is no question about it. By the time Richie was 5, I had already let him down. When he needed me the most, I was busier and even more self-concerned than I had been when he was an impressionable infant.” As Richie grew up, he and his mother Mary had an estranged relationship for a long period.

Later, Richie Meeker relocated alongside his father, Richard Carleton Meeker to Fresno, California. There, Richie planned to go to college. His father had to be transferred out of town but Richie decided to remain in Fresno on his own to complete his senior year, so he persuaded his parents to let him.

Eventually, Richie Meeker started to use drugs. In her memoir, Richie’s mother Mary recalled receiving a call that came from a “frantic and sobbing” Richie, who was in trouble with a drug dealer. “I realized the extent of the tangle that was now my son’s life.” Richie later went in for treatment, which went well.

Richie moved back in with his mother and then, he graduated from high school. His mom was unable to attend his graduation ceremony due to an acting job. The mother and son would go on to reconcile. Richie even got some small acting roles on TV, per PEOPLE.

Sadly, Richie Meeker’s life was cut short. He passed away in 1980. He was a student at the University of Southern California at the time of his death. He is said to have been working at CBS as a messenger.

How Did Mary Tyler Moore’s Son Die?

Mary Tyler Moore’s son Richie Meeker died on 14 October 1980, at age 24, in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, USA. He died of an accidental gunshot to the head while handling a small .410 shotgun. The model was later taken off the market because of its “hair trigger”.

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Richie Meeker who was attending the University of Southern California at the time, was an avid gun collector. He was reportedly handling a gun while watching TV in his bedroom and suddenly the gun went off. One of Richie’s roommates, Judy Vasquez, told police about the accident.

“He was loading and unloading the short-barreled gun when it went off . . . It was awful. He must have pulled the trigger. There was a big bang, and he fell on the bed.” Richie Meeker’s death left his mother heartbroken. She even had to get a psychotherapist to help her deal with her son’s death.

Mary Tyler Moore got to know of her son’s death through a phone call. “On Oct. 15, 1980, at 5 a.m., the phone awakened me,” she wrote in her memoir. “It was Grant. ‘If you’re standing, you should sit down …. It’s Richie. He’s dead.”‘

A formal investigation by the Los Angeles Coroner’s Office confirmed that Richie’s death was an accident. Richie was cremated and his ashes were scattered in a stream at Mammoth Mountain, California. Richie’s mother Mary Tyler Moore recalled spreading her son’s ashes, days following his death.

“The water was clear and high as I knelt over it,” she revealed. “I opened the container and emptied it into the rushing water. What was meant to be a prayer became an outraged demand. ‘You take care of him,’ I screamed at the sky.”

Mary Tyler Moore died on January 25, 2017, at Greenwich Hospital in Greenwich, Connecticut. She was 80 years old. She died from cardiopulmonary arrest complicated by pneumonia after having been placed on a ventilator the week before. She was buried in Oak Lawn Cemetery in Fairfield, Connecticut in a private ceremony.

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Mary’s ex-husband and father of her only child, Richard Carleton “Dick” Meeker Sr. died on 8 July 2013, at age 86. He died peacefully at home after his daily morning walk. He was buried at Sacramento Valley National Cemetery, in Dixon, Solano County, California, USA.