If you don’t know who Valerie Harper is, please just skip over this post! Valerie Harper was and is an icon of 1970s television (go here to see Harper’s IMDB), an Emmy-winning and groundbreaking television actress, beloved by so many women. Chances are, your mom loves her. I know for sure that my mother loves her, and my mom is going to be devastated with this news. People Magazine reports – in their cover story! – that Valerie is suffering from terminal brain cancer.
Valerie Harper is facing a devastating diagnosis: terminal brain cancer.
The television icon – beloved for her role as brash New Yorker Rhoda Morgenstern on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spin-off, Rhoda – received the news on Jan. 15, she reveals to PEOPLE in this week’s exclusive cover interview.
A battery of tests revealed she has leptomeningeal carcinomatosis, a rare condition that occurs when cancer cells spread into the fluid-filled membrane surrounding the brain. Her doctors say she has as little as three months left to live.
Resolved to face her last days with courage and humor, “I don’t think of dying,” says the actress, 73, who previously battled in 2009. “I think of being here now.”
For more from Valerie, including her thoughts upon receiving the crushing news, how she is spending her remaining time and her inspirational outlook, pick up this week’s issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday
That’s so sad. Mary Tyler Moore is going to be devastated! They’re still close, and I would imagine that there are many actors and actresses from that generation who will be paying their respects to Valerie in the coming weeks and months.
Just a “how the sausage is made” sidenote: I think it’s interesting that People Magazine put this on their cover, especially following last week’s eye-roll-inducing Jennifer Aniston cover. Harper must have offered them an exclusive and People – knowing that their core readership is old enough to remember and love ‘Rhoda’ – decided to make this the cover.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I loved Rhoda and the MTM show when I was a young girl! And in a weird, personal twist of fate: one of my mom’s dearest friends who always reminded me of Valerie Harper (voice, humor, looks) is also dying of cancer. So sad.
Aww, this makes me sad. My mom loved Rhoda, I even remember watching it when I was younger. I remember her more from the show when Jason Bateman was a kid though. So, so sad.
Oh this is sad news. I watched both her shows (MTM & Rhoda) as a kid. Loved them both.
I remember her and I absolutely love her. She was so sassy on that show! Wishing her a peaceful journey.
Rhoda, no 🙁
That is shocking and so sad. I adored her as Rhoda. She seems like a wonderful person, too. Thoughts and prayers to Valerie and her family.
hope she has had/has minimal suffering.
not only did she work the funny, she had a feminist streak a mile wide for the time. both rhoda and mtm show were all about ladies living the way they wanted to and not how they were supposed to.
i don’t like those “goodbye” headlines. feels sort of jumping the gun.
My motto in life is, What Would Rhoda Do?
I was all about her on tv land. This is so sad. I hope she has nothing, but wonderful days left in her life with family and friends.
Brave soul. May her journey on be a peaceful one.
I remember her from the show where she had 3 sons (Jason Bateman was one of them). I loved her. I’m sorry to hear about the dreaded C word. God bless her.
Me too. Hogan Family
It was originally “Valerie.” It became The Hogan Family when she left (and Sandy Duncan moved in as an aunt or something).
Bite your tongue! :^) That show was “Valerie”, it only became “The Hogan Family” after Valerie quit (was fired?).
My God, I am ever so sorry to hear this. I watched Mary Tyler Moore when I was little and I loved that show. Mary, Valerie and Cloris Leachman were so great together. Classic show with very talented people.
She provided me with many laughs growing up. God Bless her and her family in this most difficult time.
Aww I love her:(. This is really sad.
aww…that’s sad. I’m too young for their original run, but I watched both shows on Nick at Nite and other classic tv channels growing up. My mom was a big fan. (Nowadays, it’s the shows of my youth on Nick at Nite. :/) Since it seems inevitable, I hope she has as peaceful of a passing as she can. 🙁 Cancer really sucks.
I watch the reruns on cable, I always loved her spunky character.
beautiful soul
Oh MAN! Not Rhoda! I loved that show when I was a kid. 🙁 She was also on Broadway and Lil’Abner.
I pray for a painless crossover, Valerie.
What a brave lady. I loved her all through my life there were so many shows she was on. What a lovely talented woman. God Bless her
I hate cancer. My heart goes out to her and her family. Too many people have been touched by this cruel illness.
I am so sad about this and so in awe of her outlook and her strength: “I think of being here now”. I wish we could defeat this disease which seems so random and arbitrary, like being struck by an arrow out of nowhere. I can’t make sense of the suffering it causes to so many good people and their families and friends. I wish her peace and happiness.
Such sad, sad news. I love her, too. She’s a real and genuine person–hard to find in the entertainment industry in this day.
When I was in my 20s, there was nothing I enjoyed more than watching The Mary Tyler Moore Show…loved Rhoda.
Oh, no. Such sad news. Loved her.
Poor lady. My heart goes out to her. My dad died of stomach cancer, so I know how Valerie and her family must be feeling. So sad.
She survived lung cancer. It must have come back. Conce it metastasizes to the brain it is only a matter of months. It’s a hard ending with it in the brain fir loved ones to witness. Godspeed. Great lady.
She probably only has months to live.
um, the article says as little as three months to live.
@ Nick: I was so saddened by this news that I didn’t read the article. My bad.
So sad. Rhoda was one of my favorite shows when I was growing up.
That’s to bad. I’m old enough to remember her on both MTM and her own show. She was both funny and graceful. Bless you Valerie
So sorry about this. Love her. She was also a great guest star on SATC playing Justin Theroux’s funky liberal loads of fun mom. Justin turned out to be a dud,, but Carrie couldn’t bear to “break up” with his cool Mom Valerie.
My husband’s cancer spread to his brain and he was told less than 3 months – he lived 19 days. Very rough way to go. Feel sorry for her.
sophie, my condolences. I just lost my uncle to metastatic prostate cancer. I wish Valerie a peaceful crossing. She always seemed like such a wonderful woman.
I am so sorry about your husband.
I am so sorry for your loss, Sophie. My sister is battling a brain tumor as well. Not metastasized, it’s a primary tumor.
Sophie, I’m sorry for your loss.
Scary for both of you. I’m sorry, Sophie.
@Sophie and jc126. My heart goes out to you both.
I remember her 80s sitcoms more, always liked her as an actress.
What sad news. I hope she is able to enjoy the rest of her days and does not have any pain.
Prayers to a classy lady. Gentle and peaceful trip home Valerie.
So sad she was a great character in The MTM show.
Rhoda was my very first hero. Her MTM inspired a nerdy little girl who never quite fit in what friendship an success were all about. Her appearNce on SATC was awesome and she is just an amazing woman. I pray for her in these last days.
I am so sorry to read this. I was very influenced by her character on The MTM Show and Rhoda when I was a young girl. She brought so much life and personality to her character.
Very sorry to hear this. She always struck me as such a good person.
such grace under devastating news!
loved, loved, LOVED Rhoda as a kid!
she taught me alot about being spunky & witty.
remember when she played Carrie’s boyfriend’s (limpd*ck Vaughn) mom on SATC? so great!
i wish you a painless & peaceful journey Ms. Harper. 😥
She always made me laugh. This is terrible news, makes me sad.
Terrible news. The character of Rhoda was groundbreaking for women in television, as was her friendship with Mary Richards. Damn.
I LOVED Valerie on The MTM show and Rhoda. I felt a kinship to her because she always battled her weight (like me).
I’m so sad to hear this news about her. I wish her a peaceful and painless journey.
Remember the episode where Mary and Rhoda got drunk and wrote the obituaries?
Bless her.
My mother had brain cancer that had crossed over into the lining of the brain like Valerie has. It is devastating. They can’t go into that part once it crosses with procedures. My mother was like a stroke victim. She by the last month couldn’t figure out how to use her hands to help us lift her. It was heartbreaking. My anger went from anger at my mom dying iof cancer to such anger and jealousy of my cousin and a friend having mothers dying who they could still have time with communicating and talking and sharing. My mother’s personality drastically changed from the brain tumors and then total deterioration. No huge Hallmark moments of mother/daughter talks possible. But she was the bravest woman I know and fought so hard just to stay alive because she wanted to take care of my ill father and not leave him. I remember her now as the vibrant woman she was my whole life, but it took time for those memories to supersede my stage 4 cancer-stricken, very ill mother.
Hope is everything when there is a diagnosis of cancer. Once they take away hope, the sadness is so overwhelming.
Jayna: My Mother suffered something similar. It was terrible to watch. I can relate to the anger and jealousy too. It’s so hard to lose your Mom. It’s been a couple of years for me now. I think of my Mom every single day. My Dad died of a broken heart not long after.
God, I am so sorry to hear this. My condolences to you both.
Hugs to you and to everyone else who is or has gone through a similar situation.
Boy they sure don’t make shows like Rhoda and MTM anymore.As a kid I found it fascinating that their were such a thing as a single successful career women.It was something that hadn’t occurred to me. Everyone my parents and I knew were married.Shows like them were groundbreaking at the time.Knowing her she’ll probably be feisty till the very end.
First Ann Romano and now Rhoda???? My heart is breaking. Can we please go back to 1979?
Yes this just crossed my mind! We’re losing all the 70’s stars. That’s 2 who’s the third?
So sad. I watched MTM and Rhoda when I was younger. Rhoda taking the subway wearing her wedding dress left a big impression on me.
Cancer’s a b====.
When I get married, I want to open the wedding by telling my spouse not to smudge my makeup, the way she did.
I’m so sorry to read this. When the MTM show first came on, I identified more with Rhoda than Mary. Besides proving that there is life without matrimony, she was just more FUN.
Good luck to you, Valerie. You will be missed.
Such sad news. I loved Rhoda so much both on “Mary Tyler Moore” and “Rhoda”.
On MTM, Rhoda was always wanting an apartment in the house, but I adored her little room in the attic. As a teenager, I thought that was the coolest thing ever!
Prayers for you, Ms. Harper.
Damn. Just…..Damn
Terrible news! Love the ‘Mary Tyler Moore Show’. God Bless.
A great lady.
Bravo Valerie for having the courage to face her final days with a positive attitude! I truly admire people who can reach inside and find that kind of strength. One of my relatives is dying of pancreatic/lung cancer right now and he’s allowed anger and fear to choke out every bit of happiness in his world. It’s gotten pretty difficult to be around him now…
I love her and the show, even though I did not watch when originally aired. She should have ended up with Joe on the show!
I just today watched the episode where she moved in with Joe and proposed to him! It’s still cool to see her ask him, knowing what a big deal that was in 1974.
SHE DOES NOT EVEN LOOK THE SAME!
I actually met her once and she was hands down the nicest celebrity ever (and I met a few living in NYC) She went out of her way to compliment me and tell me I was pretty and wished me luck with my acting career. I was just stunned at how kind she was when there was nothing at all in it for her. This is absolutely tragic news, what a sad time for her family. My thoughts are with them.
I loved her! She was self-deprecating and funny on MTM, and at the same time so beautiful.
Prayers to a beautiful, classy snd funny woman.
Aw 🙁 When I was a little kid I remember watching Rhoda and Mary Tyler Moore on TV land. I loved her sass and spirit, and it was one of the first shows I saw that centered around a strong female protagonist.
I love you Valerie Harper, you made an impression on my life.
Valerie Harper has been on my mind for a while, mainly because of how Charlie Sheen got over huge on the 2 and a 1/2 Men producers, while Valerie seemingly got completely hosed on her show.
Like some have mentioned, I identified with Rhoda more than Mary, although I loved them both. I vaguely remember watching TMTMS in the 70s (was a little kid), but I watched it on Nick at Nite during college and sometimes catch it on MeTV.
Wishing her peace and the minimum of pain for her and her family.
Brain tumors scare me because of the way they alter your personality. I can’t imagine her being anything other than herself! It doesn’t seem real to know that someone so gutsy is leaving us.
I almost cried at work when I saw this. I grew up watching reruns of MTM and Rhoda and always had the sense that Valerie Harper put so much of herself in the role. My thoughts and prayers are definitely with her family.
So many great shows we will never see the likes of again. Back when people actually had talent and not just a fat ass and nasal voice. For those too young, I feel sorry for you. The best Saturday nights of my life…Newhart, MTM, Carol Burnett. May God grant you peace, Valerie.
Every Saturday night, my sister and I would sit in front of the TV laughing at all those great shows…now my sister has stage 4 colon cancer…it seems like everyone has been affected by the big C…God bless you Valerie Harper…
AMEN to every single word you wrote.
I used to want to look exactly like Suzanne Pleshette on The Bob Newhart Show–she had such great style.
I love and admire Valerie Harper and am so sad about this – what a talent.
I hope she finds her path as easy as is possible. It is very sad news.
I’m actually really sad about this, as if it were a member of my own family going through it! She tweeted about going for tests as early as January and February, so does that mean she knew then? That’s taking us closer to three months. 🙁
I am very sad, too. Randomly, I just watched two episodes of Rhoda on Hulu, and then headed over here to check out the gossip. 🙁 I love Valerie Harper.
This is probably one of the few posts that doesn’t have anything mean/snarky to say. I’m pleasantly surpised…
Shows what kind of person she was to have everyone think of her this well.
And I never saw her on MTM but I did see her on Valerie and SATC
She was also Michael’s mom on Melrose Place.
It sucks may she go with as little pain as possible.
Wonderful paintings! This is the type of info that should be shared around the web. Disgrace on Google for no longer positioning this publish higher! Come on over and discuss with my site . Thanks =)
this makes me so sad a a little girl of the 70’a the MTM show was my fav. I wanted to be like Mary Richards & live in a cool little apartment in a big house & when Rhoda was introduced into the show she brought another level of the cool single chick with the lovable but overbearing ma! I can hear Rhoda “heyMare”…Valerie Harper I’m sending love & hugs. My fav aunt full of life & love was taken from us with the same diagnosis & this breaks my heart.
Sad news! =(