Beloved ‘Little House on the Prairie' actor Hersha Parady dies at 78

Hersha Parady, known for playing Alice Garvey on the hit TV series "Little House on the Prairie," has died, according to her son, Jonathan Peverall. She was 78.

Peverall told TODAY.com in a statement that his mom passed away on Aug. 23, 2023 due to a brain tumor.

Parady is survived by her son and her three grandchildren "who will miss her very much," he said.

In a GoFundMe campaign that Peverall set up for his mom last month, he explained that Parady was "battling a tough medical condition — a brain tumor known as meningioma."

"This illness has robbed her of her strength, her memory, and sadly, her vibrant personality," he said. "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."

Peverall explained that he was trying to raise money for his mom so he could help improve her "quality of life" and give her "the support she needs during this difficult time."

In his last update on July 31, Peverall said that Parady had a “successful” surgery and was "transferred to a rehab facility with hope for a positive recovery."

However, he noted that "at some point during the stay, she developed pneumonia and had to be taken back to the hospital."

"For the past week, she has been in the ICU on a ventilator, and while there have been some moments of clarity, she has been unable to fully wake up," he said. "The medical team is actively investigating potential causes for her current condition, which may include post-surgical complications, seizures, medication, or any combination of factors. At this point, they are working to assess her mental condition more accurately."

"Despite these difficult times, we remain hopeful and ask that you do the same," he added.

Parady was born in 1945. According to her IMDb page, she was cast as a schoolteacher on “Little House on the Prairie” when she was starring in a play playing Anne Hathaway, the wife of William Shakespeare.

One day, her future “Little House on the Prairie” co-stars Richard Bull and Katherine “Scottie” MacGregor came to see her perform, and they were so impressed by her acting skills that they recommended her to the show's casting director.

Parady was then cast as a guest star before she landed a role as a series regular in seasons four through six.

The original series went off the air in the 1982. However, in 2020, TODAY.com confirmed that a reboot of the classic sitcom was officially in the works.

After Parady's time on “Little House on the Prairie," she went on to star in a number of big projects, such as 1984's "Courage" and 1997's "Kenan & Kel," where she played Principal Dimly for two episodes.

Parady has also been married to producer John Peverall, who won an Academy Award in 1976 for best picture for his work in "The Deer Hunter."

In 2014, the cast of “Little House on the Prairie" celebrated the show's 40th anniversary when they got together for a reunion on TODAY.

While remembering the sitcom, Melissa Gilbert, who played Laura Ingalls in the show, said that they always treated each other like family members.

"We were together for so long, and it was an intense experience," she said. "We were a family there.”

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