https://abc7.com/entertainment/actress-valerie-harper-dies-at-80-family-says/5503817/


Actress Valerie Harper, best known for her roles in "Rhoda" and "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," has died at age 80, her family says.

Her family confirmed the actress died at 10:06 a.m. Friday. The cause of death was not immediately disclosed but she had been treated for cancer since 2009.

Harper first came to fame for her role as Rhoda Morgenstern on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and then the character was spun off to her own sitcom, "Rhoda," in the late 1970s.

RELATED: Five times 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' blazed a trail

She won four Emmys and a Golden Globe for her work in those two shows.

Harper returned to TV in 1986 as the lead in the sitcom "Valerie," though she left the show after the second season in a contract dispute.

A beautiful woman, a wonderful actress, a great friend and with balls bigger than mine. Her brilliance burst through and shined its light upon all of us. Goodnight beautiful. I’ll see you soon. pic.twitter.com/FicADkSAzS

— Ed Asner (@TheOnlyEdAsner) August 30, 2019


Ed Asner, who costarred on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," paid tribute to Harper on Twitter: "A beautiful woman, a wonderful actress, a great friend and with balls bigger than mine. Her brilliance burst through and shined its light upon all of us. Goodnight beautiful. I'll see you soon."

Even when she was down she danced and showed the world that she refused to let cancer beat her. Now Rhoda is with Mary in heaven. RIP Valerie Harper. You were the epitome of strength and humor. 😢🤟🏻 pic.twitter.com/CEGWl4hfhA

— Marlee Matlin (@MarleeMatlin) August 30, 2019


Through the course of a television, film and theater career that spanned nearly seven decades, Harper was nominated for eight Emmys, winning four; and nominated for six Golden Globes, winning one. She was also nominated for a best actress Tony in 2010 for her role in the play "Looped."

After publicly disclosing her cancer diagnosis, Harper continued to work on television and stage well into her 70s.

In recent years she had roles on shows such as "2 Broke Girls" and "The Simpsons" and in 2013 appeared as a contestant on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars."

Earlier that year, she had said her doctors had given her only months to live, but she later responded well to treatment.

In a contemplative mood, she reflected on the subject of death at that time in an interview with KABC's George Pennacchio.

"We would not have life without death," Harper said. "It is a passage, it's part of life. That's what I've come to realize."

R.I.P. :(

Thanks for the memories Valerie. :(

Very sad!!:( I loved Rhoda!!! And Valerie was a very cool lady !! May she RIP!


I just saw her today on a Hot in Cleveland rerun! A very cool ep. , besides Valerie Harper guest starring, Mary Tyler Moore. Cloris Leachman and regulars of the show Betty White and Georgia Engel were reunited!:)It was so cool seeing all these iconic ladies together again ! ;)

Now Valerie is reunited in heaven with Mary and Georgia !

Very sorry to hear this. May she :rip:

I wondered why there were so many tributes to her today. I honestly thought that she had passed away a while ago but now I remember that she had been very ill a few years ago but had recovered. She will be missed.

Valerie Harper never backed down from a fight, and that's why she leaves a complex Hollywood legacy (https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/valerie-harper-fighter-legacy-1203319967/)

"Valerie Harper was a fighter, and that may ultimately be her Hollywood legacy," says Michael Schneider of the four-time Emmy-winning The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rhoda star, who died Friday at age 80 after a long battle with cancer. “People are saying, ‘She’s on her way to death and quickly,’” Harper told Fox News (https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/the-mary-tyler-moore-show-star-valerie-harper-dead-at-80) in 2017. “Now it’s five years instead of three months… And the thing is, everyone is going to die in one way or another. So why don’t you fight it? I’m going to fight this. I’m going to see a way." But it's not just dealing with cancer that made Harper a fighter. It was her battle for higher pay, which she first staged in 1975 when she refused to return for Season 2 of Rhoda unless she received a raise from $10,000 to $17,500 a week. Harper got her way, and her holdout paved the way for her holding out after Season 2 of Valerie (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLYy8sat-qo), her NBC family comedy that became a hit after premiering in 1986. Harper and her husband/producer Tony Cacciotti demanded per-episode salary increases and a larger cut of future syndication revenue (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hogan_Family#Season_2:_Harper_leaves). Ultimately, Harper was fired from the show, her character was killed off and Sandy Duncan was brought in to replace her in a different role. The show would go on as Valerie's Family and then The Hogan Family for four more seasons, ending after Season 6 on CBS after a network change. "The case of Harper’s exit from Valerie also had a darker, long-lasting impact on the industry: It proved to executives that shows could indeed survive, and even thrive, despite the exit of its top star," says Schneider. "That lesson proved handy for execs in following years on shows like NYPD Blue, when David Caruso left after one season; when Two and a Half Men had to adjust after Charlie Sheen was fired over his misconduct; and even up to the recent switch on House of Cards (as Kevin Spacey was fired due to sexual assault allegations). Most recently, ABC kept Roseanne going as The Conners after Roseanne Barr was fired over racist comments on social media; just like Harper’s character on Valerie, Barr’s character was killed off and the remaining characters continued with a similar show under a new title."

ALSO:

For a generation Valerie Harper's Rhoda defined imaginative boho-chic style (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/a-generation-valerie-harper-s-rhoda-defined-imaginative-boho-style-1235876)
More celebrities pay tribute: "My third show in Hollywood.. the vivacious Valerie was so welcoming and gracious," tweeted Henry Winkler (https://ew.com/tv/2019/08/30/valerie-harper-death-costars-tributes/)

I liked what James Brooks (one of the MTM producers) said about her- that even at the height of her fame with a room full of admiring fans, Miss Harper would never fail to seek out those among the crowd who seemed to be lonely and uncomfortable and do her best to brighten their time as best she could! Yes, I always thought she was someone a person would have been lucky to have known had one had reason to have known her! Well, I just hope she and her family were able to make the most of that 80th birthday barely a week before the end! RIP, Miss Harper!

Thank you Valerie for all the joy you brought us. RIP.

Rest in peace Valerie, you will be missed.

She was a wonderful actress who brought a lot of joy to the screen; R.I.P. Valerie

Valerie Harper's Rhoda displayed honest vulnerability that was every bit as essential to The Mary Tyler Moore Show as Mary’s charming optimism (https://themuse.jezebel.com/im-the-rhoda-1837795944)

"Charming, brave-yet-vulnerable Mary was aspirational; Rhoda was the reality of the insecurity built into living a life that didn’t quite fit the trajectory of the life one was supposed to have, even if it was the one she wanted," says Emily Alford in a tribute to Harper, who died Friday at age 80. She adds: "It’s easy to overlook the fact that Harper was beautiful, talented, and incredibly charming because she played Rhoda the loser, cracking sarcastic jokes while hidden in a caftan, so well. On the show, jokes were often at Rhoda’s expense, about her weight, her perpetual singledom, the monotony of her job, and those punchlines were many times delivered by Rhoda herself. In one episode, Mary castigates Rhoda for her constant negative self-talk." But, Alford says, "being the Rhoda means having the freedom to be the imperfect star of your own story with a closet full of caftans and no idea what you’re doing." ALSO: With Rhoda, Harper went from sidekick to star (https://people.com/tv/inside-valerie-harper-final-reunion-mary-tyler-moore-costars/).

To me, VH had bad luck with her TV shows. First, CBS messed with her 1970s hit series “Rhoda”, then Lorimar fired her from her eponymous 1980s NBC series. Maybe she should have put her foot down in the 1970s and let CBS know she didn’t like what they were doing to her show. She had more clout then, and the network would most likely have listened to her.