Brooke Shields' mother, Teri Shields, dies at 79

Teri Shields, who guided daughter Brooke Shields' career as a child model-actress, died last Wednesday in New York. She was 79.

The elder Shields died following a long illness related to dementia, a spokesman for her daughter told The New York Times.

Teri Shields launched her daughter's career when she was 11-months-old -- her first job was an ad for Ivory soap. She would later allow her daughter to play a child prostitute in the 1978 film "Pretty Baby" and to star in a controversial ad campaign for Calvin Klein jeans. The TV ad included the 15-year-old saying, "You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing."

Born in Newark in 1933, Theresa Anna Lillian Schmon worked as a hairstylist, a makeup artist for Lord & Taylor and a model, according to a statement from Brooke Shields obtained by the Times. She married Francis Alexander Shields in 1964 and Brooke was born a year later. The couple divorced when their daughter was a few months old.

According to the Times, Brooke Shields, now 47, has said in past interviews that her relationship with her mother became strained when she began managing her own career in her 20s. She also told the newspaper in 1994 that she "grew up in an alcoholic household."

In that same article, Teri Shields said she could not discuss her daughter's career plans.

"Talk to Brookie," she told the Times, but added, "Brookie doesn't know what she's talking about."