Valerie Kathryn Harper began her career as a dancer on Broadway, making her debut in the musical Take Me Along in 1959.

Valerie has died after a long battle with cancer, her daughter Cristina Cacciotti and family friend Deanna Buskey confirmed to CNN. She was 80.

Buskey, a friend of the family for more than 20 years, said the family was not "providing details at this time."

She is perhaps best remembered for her role as Rhoda Morgenstern on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spin-off Rhoda in the 1970s. She received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, and later received the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on Rhoda.

From 1986 to 1987 she graced our screens as Valerie Hogan on the sitcom Valerie. Her most notable film appearances include roles in Freebie and the Bean and Chapter Two, both of which earned her Golden Globe Award nominations.

Harper returned to stage work in her later career, appearing in several Broadway productions. In 2010, she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her performance as Tallulah Bankhead in the play Looped.

Former cast members have taken to social media to share their memories and offer sympathy.

Harper battled lung cancer and was subsequently diagnosed with another form of cancer, leptomeningeal carcinomatosis, in 2013. Her family recently started a GoFundMe page to help with the cost of her treatments.

May she rest peacefully.