The four-time Emmy Award winner Valerie Harper dies at the age of 80 after battling cancer for a long time. The actress died on 30th August 2019. Her family didn’t release any further details except her husband is advised to put her in hospice care.
Valerie Harper career:
Valerie began her career as a dancer and chorus girl on Broadway. After that, she started doing theater in Los Angeles in 1970. Later she was cast for a role in “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” as Rhoda Morgenstern for this role she won 3 Emmy Awards. She also starred in the spin-off series Rhoda as a leading actress and won another Emmy Award for it. Harper also won a Golden Globe Award for her role as Rhoda Morgenstern. She also appeared in many different movies and series such as Sex and the City(1999), The Shadow Box, etc.
Harper was also a member of the Screen Actors Guild and ran for president in the 2001 election. Her last role was in the comedy series Liza on Demand as Wanda in 2018.
Valerie Harper personal life:
Valerie was involved in the Women’s Liberation Movement in 1970s/80s. She also founded L.I.F.E. in 1983, which is a charity that feds thousands of poor in Los Angeles. She married actor Richard Schaal in 1964 and got divorced in 1978. In 1987 she married Tony Cacciotti, and shortly after they adopted a daughter.
Valerie health and illness:
In 2009 Valerie Harper was diagnosed with lung cancer. In 2013 her doctors gave her as less as three months’ life expectancy. Although with chemotherapy and medications, Harper survived for six more years.
By July 2019, Harper was experiencing extreme physical and painful challenges that required 24/7 care. Harper died on the morning of 30th August 2019 in Los Angeles, eight days after her 80th birthday.