Her family shared the news through her Facebook page on Thursday, Dec. 8, addressing the post, “To the friends and fans of our beloved Helen.” They published a brief video, set to calming music and rain sounds. “I love doing drama but I’m always hired to do comedy,” the opening clip quoted the late actress, before the text changed to read, “To our beloved Helen…You always made us laugh,” underneath a photo of Slayton-Hughes. “Thank you for the love and laughter,” it continued, changing to photos from throughout her career. “You inspired us all by living your dream until the end. Rest now our sweet Helen. We know the laughter will continue wherever you are.” The video ended with another quote from the actress: “The universe is getting ready for a big project: perparing [sic] for my departure.” In the caption, her family explained, “Helen passed away last night. Her pain has ended but her fierce spirit lives on. Thank you for the love and support of her and her work.” They ended the post with, “Rest sweet one.…” Several commenters called out her role in the hit NBC sitcom when leaving their condolences for the family. Though she was only on a large handful of episodes, she clearly made an impact on the show’s audience. “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,” one wrote. “Oh that’s so heartbreaking… I’m so sorry to hear this. 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,” said another. “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,” wrote a third. Slayton-Hughes was an industry latecomer, aged 50 when she earned her first IMDB credit in 1980. At this time, it’s unclear if she was ill at the time of her death or if she passed of natural causes.
