She had leptomeningeal carcinomatosis, in which cancer cells invade the fluid-filled membrane surrounding the brain.
For her work on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," she received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series three times, and later received the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on "Rhoda/"
Harper was born on Aug. 22, 1939, in Rockland County in Suffern. Her father, Howard, was a salesman; her mother, Iva, was a nurse.
The family moved frequently as Valerie grew up -- to California, Michigan, Oregon and Jersey City, where she attended high school. Her parents divorced when she was a teenager.
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