NEW YORK - A representative for Mary Tyler Moore says the veteran sitcom star will have surgery to remove a brain tumour.

Spokeswoman Alla Plotkin says Moore's doctors recommended the elective procedure after monitoring the tumour for some time. Plotkin did not say when the surgery would take place.

It would remove a meningioma (meh-NIN'-jee-OH'-muh), a slow-growing tumour in the membranes that cover the brain. Meningiomas usually occur in older adults and are mostly benign.

The 74-year-old Moore gained stardom as a modern suburban housewife on the 1960s comedy "The Dick Van Dyke Show," then went on to headline her own successful series as a single woman pursuing a career.

Moore's plan to have the surgery was first reported on People magazine's website.