Marc Cherry Promised to Never Kill Kathryn Joosten Off of “Desperate Housewives.” That Changed When She Was Diagnosed with Cancer

Throughout Desperate Housewives' entire run, the show’s creator, Marc Cherry, killed over 50 characters. But he once swore to spare one actress' onscreen persona.

“There was only one person I ever promised that I would never kill them off,” Cherry, 62, tells PEOPLE during a recent interview. “That was Kathryn Joosten, who played Mrs. [Karen] McCluskey.”

Joosten had an early start on the show, which ran for eight seasons from 2004-2012. She was cast after a previous actress kept forgetting her lines, Cherry says. 

“We had to replace that actress very quickly. Our casting director, Scott Genkinger, said, ‘What about Mrs. Landingham from West Wing?’ I said, ‘Oh, I love that actress. Let's, get her,’ " Cherry recounts. “I had never met Kathryn before. She came aboard and [it was] just love at first sight.”

Joosten hoped her new role would be longer lived than her part in the political drama.

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“Kathryn, who was known to be a fun curmudgeon, complained about how Aaron Sorkin killed her off and how much it upset her,” Cherry shares. 

He adds: “The words came flying out of my mouth because I wasn't thinking. I said, ‘Well, I promise I will never kill you off.’ And she looked at me and went, ‘I'm gonna hold you to that.’ "

Soon after, Joosten went on to tell the rest of the cast about Cherry’s promise. Eventually, it became known that “she was the only one who had job security.” 

Joosten’s character remained for the entirety of the show. The actress even went on to earn two Emmy awards for outstanding guest actress in a comedy series in 2005 and 2008 for her role as Karen. She was nominated in the category twice more, in 2010 and 2012. 

While she was a present face onscreen, Joosten dealt with multiple lung cancer diagnoses off-screen. Joosten was first diagnosed in 2001, during her time on The West Wing. She went into remission after surgery without chemotherapy or radiation. The cancer returned in 2009, and Joosten received another surgery along with four rounds of chemo. 

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Cherry approached Joosten about incorporating her lung cancer into the show and she was receptive. “I said to her, ‘Why don't we work your lung cancer into the show? Because then you can take your oxygen tank and have it with you on screen. That'll be easier for you.’ She said, ‘I think it's a beautiful idea.’ "

McCluskey, Joosten’s character, passed away during the Desperate Housewives series finale, which aired May 13, 2012. Less than three weeks later, Joosten died on June 12 in Westlake Village, California, at 72 years old.

“None of us were prepared,” Cherry tells PEOPLE. “We thought she had much more time, another six to eight months.”

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Although Cherry went back on his initial promise to never off Joosten’s character, they were both pleased with the end result. 

“She took great pride that she had a special get-out-of-jail-free card,” Cherry says.

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However, the ending wasn’t well-received among some who worked on the show. Cherry says he got some “ribbing” and “grief” from members of the cast.

“But I'm so glad it worked out the way it did because I truly adored her. I think it would've been painful for her if she had gotten bumped off another show. So I was happy to make sure that she was a part of Desperate until the very end.”

Desperate Housewives is now streaming in its entirety on Hulu.

Read the original article on People