The Mary Tyler Moore Show
They used to be some of the most beloved sitcom stars of the '70s — but Mary Tyler Moore, Valerie Harper and Cloris Leachman are a long way from the glory days of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." Mary and Valerie remain television icons for their portrayal of struggling career women Mary Richards and Rhoda Morgenstern. Cloris is also still a fan favorite for her work as Mary's sweetly irritating landlord Phyllis Lindstrom. But now the actresses are all struggling as time catches up to their lives away from the TV screen. Discover the struggles of these beloved favorites — plus a look at their fourth friend who continues to work today!
Photo credit: Getty Images
Mary Tyler Moore seen arriving at LAX
Beloved legend Mary Tyler Moore, who headlined her own show from 1970 to 1977, is spending her tragic last days in the grip of dementia! “It’s heartbreaking,” says a source. “She’s almost completely blind, can barely hear and goes in and out of reality. “But she’s refused to go to a nursing facility. She wants to die at home with dignity.” Mary, 79, has been ravaged by health woes for years. Along with battling diabetes, she’s suffered kidney and heart disease and has grappled with a brain tumor. The star is worth $100 million, and records show that her husband, Dr. Robert Levine — who’s 18 years her junior — controls her assets.
“The end is near for Mary,” said a source. “Sadly, her money can’t buy the miracle she needs.”
Photo credit: Splash News
Valerie Harper chats in her car
Valerie Harper, best known for playing Mary’s neighbor, Rhoda, and starring in a hit spin-off from 1974 to 1978 — is preparing for her own final curtain. The 76-year-old actress, who has terminal brain cancer, sold off all her belongings in a shocking three-day estate sale in November 2015. She has defied doctors who gave her just three months to live when she was diagnosed in January 2013, but it “looks like time is running out,” shared a friend. “She’s been getting her affairs in order. She finally made a will and planned her own funeral.” Valerie — who wed Tony Cacciotti, 76, in 1987 and adopted daughter Cristina, then 4, the next year — is prepared to die. “I’m ready to go,” she said. “I’m not scared of death.”
Photo credit: Splash News
Last Chance For Animals Benefit Gala – Arrivals
Actress Cloris Leachman can’t out-race time. Cloris, who played Mary’s landlady Phyllis Lindstrom — and had her own spin-off in “Phyllis” (1975 to 1977) — was first spotted using a walker in 2010, but bravely kept working. The 89-year-old, who was the oldest ever “Dancing With the Stars” contestant when she competed in 2008, has sparked new health fears after switching to a wheelchair. When she needed one while appearing on “Celebrity Wife Swap” during the summer of 2015, a sprained ankle was the excuse. But she was still wheelchair-bound at a November fundraiser. An insider worried: “You have to wonder if her last days are, sadly, here.”
Photo credit: Getty Images
dying-women-mary-tyler-moore-05
Betty White — who just turned 94 years old on January 17, 2016 — has actually been busier than most of the original stars of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." She went from playing conniving Sue Ann Nivens to success in the '80s as sweet Dorothy Nylund on "The Golden Girls," before enjoying even more popularity in recent years. That included a guest spot last year on "Saturday Night Live" (which she hosted in 2010), and regular hosting duties on "Betty White's Off Their Rockers" and "Betty White's Smartest Animals In America." She was also starring in the sitcom "Hot in Cleveland," which ended its run in 2015. Hollywood insiders always worry about Betty being able to manage another day under the hot camera lights, but the aging star isn't worried about working herself to death. "There's no spare time, so I'm active all the time," she said. "I'm the luckiest broad on two feet!"