Producer Mary-Ellis Bunim, creator of MTV: Music Television’s The Real World, died last Thursday at age 57.
She had fought a long battle with breast cancer, MTV said last Friday.
Bunim/Murray Productions -- in which Bunim and Jonathan Murray were business partners -- has created reality hits including Road Rules, The Love Cruise, Making the Band, Starting Over and The Simple Life.
Murray said in a prepared statement that the company will "honor her memory by remaining committed to her ideals of creativity, adventure and excellence."
"Mary-Ellis opened our eyes and our hearts to a whole new way of looking at young-adult programming," MTV Networks president Judy McGrath said in a prepared statement.
Before Bunim-Murray, Bunim was executive producer of soap operas including Search for Tomorrow, As the World Turns, Santa Barbara and Loving.
The Northampton, Mass., native is survived by her daughter, Juliana.
A memorial service is planned at Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills, Feb. 7. In lieu of flowers, donations to the National Breast Cancer Coalition were requested.
