Julia Roberts finally opens up about death of Garry Marshall

Julia Roberts was at loss for words as she tried to memorialize rom-com director Garry Marshall — the man who catapulted her to stardom as America's sweetheart.

"There is no way to put into words, brief or expounded, how I feel about Garry," the actress said.

Roberts remained surprisingly silent after Marshall died last week and finally broke her silence as she remembered the prolific icon in a story published Wednesday to People magazine.

"He held too big a place in my life and in my heart. He was a giant in every way," she told the magazine.

The pair worked together in four movies, including Robert's blockbuster breakout in "Pretty Woman" in 1990.

"To know Garry Marshall was to love him. And I was luckier than most to have loved him for my entire adult life and luckier still to have been loved by him because his love was unconditional, inexhaustible and magical," she said.

Marshall's impact apparently preceded the films the two did together as Roberts says she grew up watching the hit shows the sitcom creator penned.

"I was 7 years old when Happy Days came on TV. Followed a couple of years later by Laverne & Shirley and then Mork & Mindy. I have said before that Garry Marshall raised me, and it is rather true," she explained.

"It is my great fortune that there were only a few short years between Happy Days going off the air and Garry Marshall walking into my life and changing it in so many ways," she continued.

Nine years after "Pretty Woman," the duo collaborated on "Runaway Bride" — also reuniting Roberts with co-star Richard Gere.

Another decade later and she was part of the ensemble cast gathered by Marshall for "Valentine's Day."

The friends would reunite one last time to film "Mother's Day" — which would become Marshall's last movie.

The "Eat, Pray, Love" star said the library of heartwarming films Marshall created reflected his zest for life.

"He taught us to be nice, that life could be simple and sweet and, most importantly, that friends and family were everything," she said.

While Marshall may be gone, Roberts believe he left behind more than a cinematic and small screen legacy.

"I do believe, at a time when the world seems to suffer so deeply, we could all benefit from remembering Garry's ideals and stories of kindness and honesty — how good we can be if we just try," she said.

Marshall died on July 19 at the age of 81 from pneumonia complications following a stroke.