Crazy Days and Nights: Valerie Harper Has Less Than Three Months To Live

Wednesday, March 06, 2013

Valerie Harper Has Less Than Three Months To Live

For almost three decades it seemed like Valerie Harper was on television every week. First, she starred as Rhoda on Mary Tyler Moore and her character was so popular that she had a long running sitcom of the same name. After that show ended she starred in a show which was originally called Valerie, but then called The Hogan Family after her son on the show, an actor named Jason Bateman became a big star. Her last television appearance was on an episode of The Simpsons. Valerie has been diagnosed with brain cancer and has less than three months to live. She was diagnosed on January 15th. She is 73.

65 comments:

Anonymous said...: So sad, I hope it is as painless as possible. Prayers for her and her family.; 6:01 AM
Cathy said...: Very sad.

Let's not rewrite history on what happened with Valerie/The Hogan Family though.; 6:01 AM
greenmountaingal said...: This is so sad. Many prayers for her and her family.; 6:01 AM
Fairmaiden327 said...: So sad to hear.; 6:02 AM
mikey said...: I was just talking about her last week...love her. I wish her a peaceful journey.; 6:02 AM
Nancy said...: I am sorry to read this. I always did like her, even after the Valerie/Hogan Family debacle.
But I thought the show was renamed The Hogan Family after she left and Sandy Duncan came on as the aunt? That the name change had nothing to do with Jason Bateman's teen idol status at the time.; 6:09 AM
Christopher Cruz said...: Poor thing- I hope her last months are filled with happy new memories to take on her next journey...; 6:10 AM
hunter said...: I want to know more about this Hogan Family debacle. Anyone?; 6:15 AM
VIPblonde said...: @hunter I never heard about it either, but I found this article: Hogan Family Contract Dispute

The article is a bit on the long side, but goes into detail about what went wrong; 6:25 AM
Cathy said...: @hunter - she got into a dispute over her salary and when she didn't show up for filming, they fired her. They wrote off her character by having her die in a car accident.

She also had a pretty awesome role on SATC as the liberal Salinger-loving mom of a guy Carrie was dating.; 6:25 AM
Jules_345 said...: So sad, I hope she is comfortable.

As for the show.. Wasn't she fired and then sued? Not sure what the original reason was but the show was Valerie then Valerie's Family and then The Hogan Family. And yes, Sandy Duncan came on as the aunt. Sad that the main thing I think of when I hear Sandy Duncan's name is the episode of Scooby Doo she was in :); 6:26 AM
Jules_345 said...: *meaning she sued the network after she was fired; 6:27 AM
Colleen said...: This makes me so sad. Sorry to be crude, but fuck cancer. It's made my and my family's lives hell the past year. I hope she has a peaceful and pain free next few months.; 6:34 AM
Agent**It said...: RHODA MORGENSTERN to Mary:
"You're having a lousy streak. I happen to be having a terrific streak. Soon the world will be back to normal. Tomorrow you will meet a crown head of Europe and marry. I will have a fat attack, eat 3000 peanut butter cups and die."

Peaceful journey, Valerie. Thanks for the many laughs.; 6:39 AM
Its just U said...: That is so sad. 73 is not young but its not old either. I hope she has good people around her to help her on the way.
This hits close to home. My Father in Law has just been told he is terminal. He has brain cancer too. He is 60 in May. Doctors gave an average of 6-8 months from diagnosis, which was 4 months ago.
And yeah @Colleen, fuck cancer; 6:45 AM
SusanB said...: Oh no! I always like her. Hope she's made comfortable and feels loved.; 6:48 AM
Della said...: What a beautiful smile.
Her humor will be missed.; 6:48 AM
Fanciesmom said...: I met her at a book store years ago.. She was so kind and gracious. I hope she is comfortable and has plenty of time with loved ones in the months ahead. Sad news,; 6:56 AM
Henriette said...: Gosh that show was craptastic, with or without Harper.; 6:56 AM
Amber said...: Welp. Who wants to go to the bar?; 6:59 AM
AndrewBW said...: Prayers.; 7:06 AM
Kelly said...: I'm so sorry @Coleen and @Its Just U
Valerie is one of a kind. I hope she
stays in peace.; 7:18 AM
Nyan said...: Lost my favorite uncle to brain cancer. By the time he was finally diagnosed, the doctors gave him a month (at best), but he passed four days later. Myself, I am a Hodgkin's Lymphoma survivor, 4 yrs in remission (touch wood)! So HELL YEAH "F#$K CANCER!!!! And the horse it rode in on!!!

I hope Valerie isn't suffering too much. This is so sad!; 7:21 AM
Mama June said...: :( to Valerie, Colleen & ItJustU

Agent-great quote!; 7:23 AM
Pogue Mahone said...: That's sad but our son's oncologist said that statistically 75% of all cancer patients are over age 65 so it's more likely at that age.; 7:33 AM
Topper Madison said...: Shit.; 7:38 AM
Izzie said...: @Nyan - YEAH!! \o/ Good for you!

I remember this - Valerie was one of my favorite shows when I was a kid and the mom dying was a bit disconcerting. Then they brought in Peter Pan! I actually liked Sandy Duncan after a while, though.

Best wishes for Valerie. Cancer is the devil.; 7:50 AM
MISCH said...: Oh no I loved her as Rhoda...and I will never forget her mom Ida ...the jewish mother of all jewish mothers...
So sad..; 7:54 AM
Stallis Garden Gal said...: I loved her character on SATC! In fact, she was Justin Theroux's mom.; 7:54 AM
Ms Cool said...: She is so cute in that picture. I am very sorry to hear of this. My favorite teacher is dying from brain cancer, too. I join the FUCK CANCER bandwagon.; 8:04 AM
Baka Neko said...: What happened?; 8:10 AM
Colleen said...: Thanks, Renoblondee & curlyhairedslacker.

So sorry Ms. Cool, Nyan & Its Just U. PogueMahone, I wish your son the best.

There's a lot of "worst things" about cancer, but for me being the family member without cancer, the worst thing is being utterly and completely helpless in every aspect from not being able to help cure it to not being able to stop the physical pain and/or discomfort they're in to not being able to cheer someone up because the chemo has beaten them down that much.; 8:18 AM
auntliddy said...: F*cking cancer again. Good journey valerie.; 8:18 AM
Melissa said...: Is she the reveal for the blind with cancer? (Sorry, too soon?) I am sorry to hear this.; 8:20 AM
Its just U said...: @Colleen I know how you feel. Not just my FiL but my own dad too. Stay strong.
@Nyan keep kicking ass!!! I like hearing about someone who beats that horrible disease.
@Pogue Mahone what can I say. You probably have one of the hardest battles. I wish you and your family the best.
Thanks everybody. Your kindness means a lot.; 8:30 AM
AKM said...: I felt like I'd gotten kicked in the gut today when I heard this. I love Valerie and I love Rhoda. Her attitude about everything is amazing, though. Basically she's said that she's not concentrating on dying but living every day she has left to the fullest, and hoping that her celebrity status can bring about some exposure and research for the type of rare cancer she has.

So bummed today now. :-(; 8:49 AM
Nyan said...: @Colleen Stay strong for them, and keep being there for them. Trust me, it helps :)
@Izzie Marceaux and Its just U, Thanks! It was a hard long battle. Sorry about your FIL & father.
@Pogue Mahone Best wishes to your son and your family. How is he doing?
Sorry @Ms. Cool and everyone else touched by cancer!; 8:52 AM
Sherry R. said...: For me, Rhoda was the best part of the MTM show. I wanted to be Jewish so bad when I was a kid. Such a fun actress and she will be so missed.; 8:54 AM
AKM said...: Ha, me too, Sherry! Sometimes I still do. Maybe I'll just find a nice Jewish boy and convert. :-); 9:06 AM
Sherry said...: Pogue,Just You, Colleen, Nyan..May I add my positive support to you all as well. May you all stay strong!

Sad to hear this of Valerie..Who didn't love her on MTM? She was awesome! But at 73 and the fame she had, she had a good life and is loved by many. May her journey be peaceful and painless.; 9:24 AM
Its just U said...: @Ms Cool I didn't mean to forget you. I hope you are ok too.x; 9:36 AM
Jennifer H. said...: That "Valerie" stuff really pissed me off at the time. Even though I was only about 13, it was clear that had she been a man with her own show, the network would have worked with her. NBC immediately went to work on a smear campaign to demonize Valerie as some mean, shallow, greedy, undeserving bitch. When Sandy Duncan started, there were endless interviews with the cast, supposedly, talking about how they loved her and how easy she was to work with and SO talented. The implication being that Valerie was none of those things. The women on these shows always take the heat and network execs go out of their way to let them know they are expendable and replaceable, from Suzanne Sommers to Valerie Harper to Ann Curry. Oh, but the guys are golden.; 9:45 AM
Mango said...: Cancer does indeed suck. My BFF lost her sister to breast cancer that metastasized. What's horrible is that she ignored the lump in her breast and her wife is a nurse who couldn't get her to see a doctor.

Last fall my brother's friend came down with a hacking cough that would not go away. It lingered for months and I even said something to him one day about seeing a doctor and he bit my head off and said something about how he had to work every day to support his family and was too busy to see a doctor-- but, this guy has his own lucrative business that is closed every Friday! Finally he spiked a fever so high one weekend that his wife took him to the ER and they admitted him, ran tests and diagnosed him with lymphoma. He's getting treatment right now and his prognosis is iffy.

In my heart I think that they both suspected that they were very ill and ignored it because they were frightened and hoped that if they didn't face it, it would go away.; 9:53 AM
Anon said...: I think Val wanted more money since she was the star or at least the show was named after her.NBC wouldn't bulge,Val threaten to quit...NBC said "go ahead"...Val left...NBC replaced Val with Sandy Duncan with Sandy playing the aunt...changed the show to the Hogan Family...show went on for a couple of seasons.; 10:00 AM
Theresa said...: Fuck fuck FUCK cancer! 10 years ago my mom died of lung cancer that spread to her brain. Reading about Valerie makes me teary-eyed, I hope she's comfortable and is surrounded by people she loves.; 10:01 AM
crila16 said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 10:05 AM
crila16 said...: Oh no. I love her. I actually met her and she was the nicest, most down to earth person. She even took a photo and said to my friend who took the pic. "That's not going to come out. The flash didn't go off and it's too dark. I've been in the business a long time and know my stuff. You better take another photo." What celeb does that? Usually they're rude and dismiss you. You're lucky if you get 1 photo.

My prayers go out to Valerie and her family.; 10:06 AM
Anothergrayhare said...: very sad to hear. wonder when all the millions we raise for cancer research will actually cure something?; 10:12 AM
Mango said...: @ VIPBlonde - Thanks for that link. Interesting read; Valerie played chicken with NBC and lost. I looked up the Valerie cast photo on IMDB and she isn't even in it!; 10:14 AM
auntliddy said...: Thats why i never donate to so called cancer research.; 10:24 AM
DewieTheBear said...: This is one of my all-time favorite MTM's, and I love the way this little comedy buried a truth about how hard it can be to say nice things about yourself ("I'm.... okay"). Enjoy :)

Rhoda the Beautiful; 10:32 AM
Invain said...: I think you're right. I heard about this last night maybe, and immediately thought of that recent blind. So sad. I hope she's got a decent quality of life right now, so she can try to live it up a little.; 10:42 AM
Ms Cool said...: Thanks for the nice comments directed to me. Though I am very sad about my teacher, I am not affected directly like the others are here. 5th grade was many, many years ago. I am exchanging letters with my teacher, though and happy about that. My heart goes out to all of you so very directly affected.; 10:59 AM
feraltart said...: Thinking of all those with family members battling cancer & a big hell yeah to those that have beaten it. Also, Fuck Cancer!; 11:38 AM
Upside Downunder said...: I appreciate the sentiment of the comments today. CDANers are genuine on real issues. My father was diagnosed with CNS lymphoma at the beginning of February. He is 75 and took great care of himself his entire life. He was running in marathons in the early 1970s. I remember going to funky smelling "health" food stores back then with him too. I guess not all cancer is lifestyle related, just the way things are.

The doctors give a median survival rate of two years, which I for any 75 year old is not bad as these things go. Just writing that I appreciate what everyone has said today.; 12:46 PM
Ella Bee said...: We just lost my father in law last week to brain cancer that had spread from his lungs. He didn't even know he had cancer; thought it was a resp infection that wouldn't go away. We literally had 6 days from the time surgery was scheduled, and he had surgery on 2/22, never woke up and passed 2/25. It's a nasty nasty disease and I hate it so very much.

This makes me sad.; 2:35 PM
Erik said...: Cancer sucks.; 4:31 PM
Nyan said...: @ Ella Bee So sorry to hear about your loss. My heart goes out to you and your family.
@ Upside Downunder Sorry to hear about your dad. Take the time to make happy days and memories together.
You are all in my thoughts.; 4:39 PM
Lelaina Pierce said...: This is such sad news. I loved her on MTM (thank you, Nick at Nite) and Valerie. I didn't realize they killed her off b/c of contract negotiations gone wrong.

First lung cancer and now this. This poor woman. :(; 5:47 PM
Feline said...: Cancer does suck (I know because I have stage IV colon cancer). I met Valerie Harper once back in the 90's. I was having dinner with my boss at a restaurant owned by her husband. She and her husband sat down with us and chatted for a while. She was incredibly gracious and kind. I feel so badly for her and her family.; 6:16 PM
Zeeky_Boogy_Doog said...: She's so great! Rhoda was always my favorite on MTM... I always wanted to see her cool apartment and her wild décor. Hoping for a miracle, because FUCK CANCER!; 8:04 PM
Colleen said...: Thank you so very much for all of the kind words, everyone. I really appreciate it. I read every day, but don't always comment because I'm not nearly as witty as most of you. :)

To Mango, Theresa, Upside Downunder, Ella Bee, Feline, and *everyone* on here suffering because of cancer, I am so sorry. No one deserves to go through cancer on any level. My most sincere thoughts are with each of you. It's nice we all have a forum to share our stories and express ourselves.; 8:29 PM
Colleen said...: Oh yeah and FUCK CANCER.; 8:29 PM
Nyan said...: @ Feline We are all here for you, stay positive and stay strong. Kick Cancer's ASS!!!!! Again.... FUCK CANCER!!!!; 10:49 PM
Ella Bee said...: Thank you so much @Nyan & @Colleen. It really sucks and you are right, no one deserves to go or suffer this way. To everyone else who knows or has known someone with cancer or is battling cancer themselves, my thoughts are with you as well. FUCK CANCER!!

To everyone on hear who has fought or is fighting cancer, you are so very very brave--what fucking warriors you are. My best thoughts and wishes are coming your way<3; 8:39 AM

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Wednesday, March 06, 2013

Valerie Harper Has Less Than Three Months To Live

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