Valerie Harper is most commonly known for her role as Rhoda Morgenstern from the show The Mary Tyler Moore Show. She also received many awards for this role. Valerie was a renowned actress and also a good human being. She was also a fighter as she died battling with cancer at the age of 80. She died on August 30, 2019. However, Valerie still lives in the hearts of the people who grew up watching her. Her family also was beside her throughout the struggle. Further, the funeral was not like the normal, rather everyone came to her funeral wearing a colour dress instead of black.
Childhood and early life
Valerie Harper was born on August 22, 1939, in New York. Her parents were Iva Mildred and Howard Donald Harper. Valerie’s father worked as a salesman and her mother a teacher who later worked as a nurse. She also has two siblings, an elder sister named Leanne and her younger brother Merrill. Her parents divorced when she was 18 years and her father remarried. She had a step-sister from her father’s remarriage. She wasn’t very catholic and had quit the church at an early age. Her education was never steady as she had to move to different schools due to her fathers work. She also has training in ballet. When she graduated from the Young Professionals School, her classmates included Sal Mineo, Tuesday Weld and Carol Lynley.
Personal life and career
Valerie Harper began her career initially as a dancer and chorus girl. She used to perform on Broadway. She has taken part in many theatre plays and she met her first husband Richard Schaal there. Later she entered television through small roles. Valerie had her major breakthrough in The Mary Tyler Moore Show in 1970. She later played in the spin-off Rhoda from 1974-1978. She won four Emmy and a Golden Globe award for this role. Meanwhile, she also had to withdraw from shows due to her illness. She starred in Liza On Demand as Wanda in its episode of July 11, 2018. She was also a philanthropist and worked for many organizations supporting women and also established LIFE, an organization which provides food for the needy. The actress was said to have an estimate of $1 million in 2019.
After she divorced Richard Schaals, she got married to Tony Cacciotti in 1987. They also adopted a daughter later. Her husband was there with her till the end and took care of her medical matters himself.
Also Read: Valerie Harper once called herself the “sufferer” ultimately made to succeed in her life!
Valerie Harper laid to rest
Valerie had been battling with cancer for a long time and her medication was also making a difference. However, we lost her at the age of 80 on August 30. Her funeral was arranged differently. Everyone who attended her funeral was asked to wear colourful dresses instead of black and bought a yellow rose for her. It was more like celebrating the life of this beautiful actress who fought for herself and others. She was laid to rest on Hollywood Forever Cemetry in Los Angeles. Many popular celebrities and family friends attended her funeral to share beautiful stories about her.
