Marc Cherry promised to never kill Kathryn Joosten in Desperate Housewives. That changed once she was diagnosed with cancer

Marc Cherry, the show's creator, killed approximately 50 characters over the course of the series. But he once promised to spare one actress' on-screen character.

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

Joosten got an early start on the show, which aired for eight seasons from 2004 to 2012. Cherry claims she was cast because a prior actress repeatedly forgot her lines.

"We needed to replace that actress extremely quickly. Our casting director, Scott Genkinger, asked, "What about Mrs. Landingham from West Wing?" I said, "Oh, I love that actress. Let's get her," Cherry recalls. "I had not met Kathryn before. She stepped onboard, and it was love at first sight."

Joosten hoped her new career would last longer than her involvement in the political drama.

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

He continues, "The words sprang out of my mouth because I wasn't thinking. I answered, "Well, I promise I'll never kill you off." And she looked at me and said, ‘I'm gonna hold you to that.’ "


Soon after, Joosten informed the rest of the cast of Cherry's pledge. It eventually became clear that "she was the only one who had job security."

Joosten's character continued throughout the entire show. In 2005 and 2008, the actress won two Emmys for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance as Karen. She received two additional nominations in the category, in 2010 and 2012.



Cherry asked Joosten about putting her lung cancer into the program, and she was interested. "I asked her, 'Why don't we work your lung cancer into the show? Because you can then carry your oxygen tank with you on screen. That will be easier for you. 'I think it's a lovely notion,' she replied.

McCluskey, Joosten's character, died on the Desperate Housewives season finale on May 13, 2012. Joosten died less than three weeks later, on June 12, in Westlake Village, California, at the age of 72.