Valerie Harper has died. The 80-year-old succumbed to a long battle with several cancers on Friday. At the time of death, she had leptomeningeal carcinomatosis, in which cancer cells invade the fluid-filled membrane surrounding the brain. Cristina Cacciotti, Valerie’s daughter, passed on a message for her father. “My beautiful caring wife of nearly 40 years has passed away at 10:06am, after years of fighting cancer,” Anthony Cacciotti said. “She will never, ever be forgotten. Rest In Peace, Mia Valeria. -Anthony.”
Valerie was a theater actress when she auditioned for “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” She managed to parlay her role as Mary’s neighbor Rhoda into four Emmy Awards – three on the show, and one on her spin-off show, “Rhoda.” She also picked up a Golden Globe.
Harper continued to work after “Rhoda.” She appeared in several TV shows, including “Sex and The City,” “That 70s Show,” “Desperate Housewives,” and “Hot in Cleveland.” She even competed on “Dancing with the Stars” after getting her terminal diagnosis and got eliminated in week four.
Source: New York Times