Valerie Harper, Emmy and Golden Globe winner from 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' and 'Rhoda', dies aged 80
Valerie Harper, who scored guffaws and stole hearts as Rhoda Morgenstern on back-to-back hit sitcoms in the 1970s, has died. She was 80. Longtime family friend Dan Watt confirmed Harper died Friday, adding the family wasn't immediately releasing any further details.
Harper was a breakout star playing the lovable sidekick on 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show,' then as the funny leading lady of the spinoff series, 'Rhoda.' In March 2013, she revealed she had been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.
She had battled lung cancer in 2009, and her husband-manager said recently he'd been advised to place her in hospice. Harper appeared on Broadway and in feature films including 'Freebie and the Bean' and 'Chapter Two.'
According to Variety, Harper was born in Suffern, New York, and attended Gotham’s Young Professionals School in high school. She studied ballet and started her career in show business as a dancer/chorus girl on Broadway in 1959's 'Li’l Abner.'
She eventually went on to perform in popular Broadway shows like 'Wildcat' and 'Take Me Along' and at Radio City Music Hall. She was so closely associated with her role as Rhoda, fans were reportedly shocked when they found out that unlike Rhoda she wasn't actually Jewish.
Her popularity led to the creation of the spinoff, which saw Morgenstern returning to New York to work as a window dresser with a lot more self-confidence than she had on 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show'. The late actor was nominated for eight Emmys, winning four and six Golden Globes, winning one over the course of a nearly seven-decade long career.
According to ABC7, Harper was also nominated for the best actress Tony in 2010 for her role in the play 'Looped'. Despite her age and illness, Harper had chosen to remain active in the industry. She made appearances on shows like '2 Broke Girls' and 'The Simpsons', and as a contestant on ABC's 'Dancing with the Stars.'
With input from AP