‘Parks and Rec’ star Helen Slayton-Hughes dead at 92
Helen Slayton-Hughes, known for her role as Ethel Beavers on “Parks and Recreation,” died on Wednesday. She was 92.
“To the friends and fans of our beloved Helen, Helen passed away last night,” her family wrote in a statement posted to her Facebook on Thursday. “Her pain has ended but her fierce spirit lives on.”
Her family expressed gratitude towards all her fans who supported her career over the years.
“Thank you for the love and support of her and her work. Rest sweet one.-With love: The Hughes family,” the family wrote.
Despite talking about “her pain,” her cause of death wasn’t immediately clear.
Along with the statement, her family shared a sweet video montage documenting Slayton-Hughes’ years-long acting career along with a quote from the late actress which read, “I love doing drama but I’m always hired to do comedy.
Fans flooded the comments section to pass on their condolences and honor her memory.
“She was such a wonderful person and actress. I first knew of her as Ethel Beavers, and she brought so much laughter to my home through that. 
,” one fan wrote.
“I am so sorry for your loss. I became a fan of Helen later in her life following her role in Parks and Rec. Helen brought a lot of light and laughter to the world and will be deeply missed 
thinking of Helen’s family in this sad time,” a second person commented.
“I’m so sorry to hear that. We named our dog Ethel Beavers because we loved the character, and I was always excited to see Helen in other things,” another added.
Slayton-Hughes played the recurring role of the sassy and beloved court stenographer, Ethel Beavers, on the NBC sitcom alongside Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Adam Scott, Aubrey Plaza, and Chris Pratt, amongst other big names.
But her career in film and television has spanned decades.
She appeared in movies and shows over the years including “He’s All That,” “New Girl,” “Veronica Mars,” “Parenthood,” “Pretty Little Liars,” “Desperate Housewives,” “That’s So Raven,” “Malcolm in the Middle,” and “Power Rangers Time Force.”
Slayton-Hughes was born in 1930 and hails from New Jersey. According to IMDB, Peter Dinklage is a first cousin, once removed.