Mary Tyler Moore Will Undergo Brain Surgery

TV Legend Mary Tyler Moore announced she will undergo brain surgery for a benign tumor that she’s known about for years. INSIDE EDITION has the story.

There is shocking news about one of America's most beloved actress, Mary Tyler Moore. The TV legend is about to undergo brain surgery.

The announcement came the same day Moore surprised her legendary TV husband, Dick Van Dyke, on the Rachael Ray Show.

At age 77, she still looked fit and stylish, and gave no hint of her medical crisis. The only sign of anything wrong was a slight shaking of her hands. The appearance was taped last week.

Mary Tyler Moore and her husband, a cardiologist, live at one of New York City's premiere addesses. We now know she has been aware for several years that she has a benign tumor in her brain. But recently, her team of doctors told her it was time to operate.

"At the recommendation of her neurologist, who has been monitoring this for years, and a neurosurgeon, Mary decided to proceed with this fairly routine procedure," her rep told People magazine.

People magazine Sr. Writer Joey Bartolomeo told INSIDE EDITION, "Her doctors wanted to take it out more as a precaution so down the line it didn't develop into something bad."

The tumor is called a meningioma, which is a benign growth in the lining tissue of the brain.

Neurosurgeon Douglas Cohen told INSIDE EDITION, "There's no such thing as brain surgery that's not serious. But the chance of dying from a meningioma if it's a straightforward procedure, if it's a relatively accessible tumor, is very small."

Moore's last gig was just four months ago on the season premiere of Hot in Cleveland, with her co-star from The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Betty White.

"Mary Tyler Moore is a TV legend. The brain tumor hasn't seemed to slow Mary down," said Bartolomeo.