Patty Maloney, known for her role in Little House on the Prairie, passes away at 89

Little House on the Prairie actress Patty Maloney has died at the age of 89.

Her death was confirmed by her brother, Dave Myrabo, who told The Hollywood Reporter she passed on Monday, March 31.

The the 3-foot-11 actress was in hospice care in Winter Park, Florida. She had suffered ‘several’ strokes in the years prior. 

‘For a little person growing up in a big world, she did everything she wanted to do,’ Myrabo stated.

Aside from her role in Little House on the Prairie, Maloney is recognized for portraying Chewbacca’s son Lumpy in the Star Wars Holiday Special and Honk in the Sid & Marty Krofft series Far Out Space Nuts.

Maloney’s health issues began in 2010 with an age-related macular degeneration (AMD) diagnosis, according to Men’s Journal.

Patty Maloney, known for her part in Little House on the Prairie, passed away at 89 on Monday, March 31. She was photographed in a publicity picture from her solo show, I’m Right Tonight, in 2005.

The actress, standing at 3 feet and 11 inches, was under hospice care in Winter Park, Florida. She had endured ‘multiple’ strokes in the years leading up to her passing. A still from her appearance in Little House on the Prairie (1974) was also released.

AMD is an eye condition that can cause blurred or reduced central vision, and is a common cause of vision loss among older adults.

She also appeared in the Wizard of Oz feature Under the Rainbow in 1981, as well as on episodes of Little House on the Prairie, Charlie’s Angels, Trapper John, M.D., The Love Boat and more.

She also played Darla Hood in the animated TV series version of The Little Rascals and appeared in Star Trek: Voyager in 1996. 

Born Patricia Anne Maloney in 1936, Patty was a native of Perkinsville, New York.

However she was raised in Winter Park, Florida, by her mother and stepfather.

During her youth, she performed in carnivals and circuses.

She married Joseph Vitek in 1961, and during their marriage, worked as a keypunch operator at Clipper Carloading in Chicago.

Following Vitek’s death from melanoma in 1968, her friends suggested she return to performing as a means of coping with her grief.

Her death was confirmed by her brother, Dave Myrabo, who told The Hollywood Reporter she passed on Monday, March 31; she is pictured circa 1970 with Totie Fields

‘For a little person growing up in a big world, she did everything she wanted to do,’ Myrabo stated; pictured with friends Scott Michaels and Sadie Corre

Maloney’s health issues began in 2010 with an age-related macular degeneration (AMD) diagnosis, according to Men’s Journal; pictured in 1982 with Billy Barty 

Maloney is also known for playing Chewbacca’s son Lumpy in the Star Wars Holiday Special; pictured with Art Carney as Saundan in a 1978 still  

She also starred as Honk in the Sid & Marty Krofft series Far Out Space Nuts, appeared in the Wizard of Oz feature Under the Rainbow in 1981, as well as on episodes of Charlie’s Angels, Trapper John, M.D., The Love Boat and more; seen with Jim Varney and Buddy Douglas in a still from Ernest Saves Christmas (1988)

Beginning in 1982, Maloney expanded her career to include animation voice acting, work on the Monopoly game show pilot, and puppeteering the Crypt Keeper on Tales from the Crypt.

She also appeared in Ernest Saves Christmas alongside Buddy Douglas, and in 2011, featured as herself in the documentary Hanlet: Episode 4½ – Attack of the Phantom Special, which explored the Star Wars Holiday Special.

Notably, in 1988, she voiced Tanis the Mummy in Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School, alongside Jeff Cohen, Glynis Johns, and Casey Kasem.

She is survived by her brother Dave, nieces Jennifer and Laura, and brother-in-law Vic.