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Valerie Harper, who won four Emmys for her beloved role as Rhoda Morgenstern on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spin-off Rhoda, has died, according to ABC7. She was 80. TV Guide has reached out to Harper’s representative for comment.
While Harper had battled first lung and then brain cancer over the last several years, as well as leptomeningeal carcinomatosis, the cause of her death was not immediately made public.
Harper started her career on Broadway before landing the iconic role of Rhoda on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, which she appeared in alongside Mary Tyler Moore for four seasons and for which she earned three Emmys for her performance. From there, she starred in the show’s spin-off Rhoda, which earned her another Emmy and lasted five seasons. Decades later, Harper and Moore starred in Mary and Rhoda, a TV movie updating fans on the beloved characters during the later years of their lives. Moore passed away in 2017.
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Following her long career as Rhoda, Harper also starred in the NBC series Valerie (in which she played Valerie, obviously), as well as made appearances on shows like Touched by an Angel, 2 Broke Girls, and Drop Dead Diva. She eventually reunited with her Mary Tyler Moore co-star Betty White on Hot in Cleveland, and appeared on Season 17 of Dancing with the Stars, where she was eliminated in Week 4. Additionally, she lent her voice to various episodes of The Simpsons
Back in July a GoFundMe was set up in Harper’s name to help offset the costs of her cancer treatment, and to date it had raised $66,181 (it’s unclear where the funds will go now). The last update on the page came on July 23, with Harper’s husband, Tony Cacciotti, writing that he was advised to put her in hospice care, and stated “many thanks for your outpouring of kindness and support.”
Valerie Harper, Mary Tyler Moore, and Cloris Leachman, The Mary Tyler Moore Show