Hersha Parady, Beloved "Little House On The Prairie" Actress, Has Died At Age 78

Parady played school teacher Alice Garvey on the hit series.

Hersha Parady, the actress who played school teacher Alice Garvey on the hit TV series Little House on the Prairie, has died.

Parady’s son, Jonathan Peverall, told The Hollywood Reporter that his mother died from a brain tumor at his home in Norfolk, Virginia, on Wednesday. She was 78.

Peverall opened up about Parady's medical condition on a GoFundMe page he created to raise funds for her care. He shared that his mother suffered from meningioma, "robbing her of her strength, her memory, and sadly, her vibrant personality.”

“My mother was a talented actor, but more importantly a beloved presence in many hearts—more than I had ever realized. I have been consistently astonished by the number of people that have expressed to me her impact on their lives,” Peverall wrote in an announcement of her death. “I want to convey my thanks to all of you for your support, but also to those of you that have shared with me your personal relationships and experiences with my mom; you all have shown me a part of her life that I had only glimpsed over the years."

Born in Ohio in 1945, Parady made her first appearance on Little House on the Prairie as Eliza Ingalls, sister-in-law of Charles Ingalls, during the show’s third season. She was later cast as Alice and played the role in seasons four, five, and six before her character met a tragic end in a house fire.

Parady's Little House on the Prairie co-star Melissa Gilbert paid tribute to her on Instagram Thursday.

"Bawdy, ballsy, sexy, funny, warm, generous, talented, kind, hilarious, brilliant Hersha Parady has shuffled off this mortal coil," Gilbert, who starred as Laura Ingalls in the long-running series, wrote. "I adored working with her. I sure loved her an awful lot."

After Little House on the Prairie, which ran for nine seasons on NBC, Parady appeared in 1984's Raw Courage, 1995’s The Break, as well as various television projects.

In addition to her son, she is survived by three grandchildren and her siblings, Patty, Kenny, and Bobby.

Rest in peace, Hersha.

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