- Hersha Parady died on August 23 at the age of 78.
- She had been battling a brain tumor, which had left her severely weakened.
- Parady was known for playing Alice Garvey on ‘Little House on the Prairie,’ and gradually retreated from television stardom after it ended.
On August 23, actress Hersha Parady died. She was 78 years old when she passed away of complications from a brain tumor in Norfolk, Virginia. News of Parady’s death was shared on the Facebook page of her former co-star Alison Arngrim.
Parady was best known for playing Alice Garvey on Little House on the Prairie, a role she retained from 1976 to 1980. Her career ran from ’71 to ’98. Parady’s son, Jonathan Peverall, launched a GoFundMe page last month to cover medical expenses related to Parady’s care.
Hersha Parady passed away after a difficult health battle
Parady had been in the midst of battling a brain tumor that left her health severely compromised. The condition “robbed her of her strength, her memory, and sadly, her vibrant personality,” said Peverall. Earlier this summer, he had shared, “She has become largely bedridden, and it is very difficult to see my Mom, who was once full of life and energy, now struggling with basic daily activities.”
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Upon her passing, Arngrim, who played Nellie Oleson on Little House, shared an article about the sad news. “Our girl is making the news,” she said in the caption. “She’s a star.”
A July 31 update from Peverall revealed that Parady had undergone a “successful” surgery aimed at improving her condition. But during the recovery process, Parady fell ill with pneumonia and was rushed to the ICU, where she was put on a ventilator.
A guiding light
Parady was born as Betty Sandhoff on May 25, 1945, in Berea, Ohio. By the time she was 14, she started acting in local productions. She uprooted her life near Cleaveland to further her drama studies out west and eventually ended up in a traveling production of A Streetcar Named Desire, which put her opposite Jon Voight.
Her television career began with The Waltons, Mannix, and Bearcats. When it came time to cast for Little House on the Prairie, Parady was a contender for the role of Caroline Ingalls, though this ultimately went to Karen Grassle. The first time she appeared in Walnut Grove was actually as Eliza Anne Ingalls before she was cast as Alice.
Parady’s television career would slow dramatically after that, concluding with a few guest appearances on Kenan & Kel. At one point, she was married to Oscar-winning producer and director John Peverall, the father of Jonathan.
Rest in peace, Hersha Parady.
