Parks and Recreation actress Helen Slayton-Hughes dies at 92

Helen Slayton-Hughes, the veteran actress best known for stealing scenes as Ethel Beavers on Parks and Recreation, died Wednesday at 92.

Her agents confirmed the news to EW. Slayton-Hughes' family posted a tribute on her Facebook page and said, "Her pain has ended but her fierce spirit lives on. Thank you for the love and support of her and her work. Rest sweet one." A cause of death was not disclosed.

The overwhelming majority of her credits came later in life, with Slayton-Hughes working steadily over the last two decades. She guest-starred on such high-profile comedies as Malcolm in the Middle, Arrested Development, My Name Is Earl, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and New Girl. She was also a cast member on the Bachelor-spoofing web series Burning Love. But the actress made her biggest splash as a recurring guest star on Parks and Rec as Ethel, the fierce, straight-faced, flask-wielding stenographer in the Pawnee courthouse who always kept Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) & Co. on their toes.

Ethel lived a full life with many lovers, and the biggest one would turn out to be Mayor Gunderson, who was finally shown on screen in his coffin at his memorial service — played by Bill Murray. "They explained to me that they couldn't shoot the whole scene until they knew he was available at the last minute. I was thrilled," Slayton-Hughes told EW in 2019. "And then I got to be hugged by Bill Murray for a long, long time."

Parks and Rec's Aubrey Plaza paid tribute to Slayton-Hughes over the weekend. "It was always Ethel Beavers. Always," she wrote on Instagram. "Rest in Peace Helen. You were so loved and admired and I wanna be you when I grow up."

Slayton-Hughes was quoted by her family as saying, "I love doing drama but I'm always hired to do comedy." Over the years, though, she appeared on such dramas as The West Wing, NYPD Blue, Pretty Little Liars, True Blood, and Parenthood. Her film credits included Good Night and Good Luck and the Veronica Mars movie. She most recently was seen in the Netflix horror comedy The Curse of Bridge Hollow.

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