'Rhoda' actress Valerie Harper has terminal brain cancer Valerie Harper arrives for the Friars Club Roast of Betty White at the Sheraton Hotel in New York on May 16, 2012. LOS ANGELES, March 6 (UPI) -- U.S. television icon Valerie Harper told People magazine she has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer and likely has no more than three months to live. Harper, 73, is best known for her portrayal of Rhoda Morgenstern on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and its spin-off, "Rhoda." She also headlined the sitcom "Valerie." The actress told People magazine doctors gave her the dire diagnosis Jan. 15, but she is trying to maintain a positive attitude. "I don't think of dying," she said. I think of being here now.