Desperate Housewives and Young Sheldon star Valerie Mahaffey dies aged 71 as fans pay tribute to ‘underrated' actress
DESPERATE Housewives and Young Sheldon star Valerie Mahaffey has died aged 71, her publicist has confirmed.
The Emmy-winning actress had been diagnosed with cancer and died in Los Angeles on Friday, Jillian Roscoe said.
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Valerie Mahaffey died aged 71 after suffering from cancer, her publicist confirmed
Credit: Getty
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Valerie attends the 44th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards on August 30, 1992
Credit: Getty
"I have lost the love of my life, and America has lost one of its most endearing actresses," her husband Joseph Kell told
"She will be missed."
Valerie was known for playing quirky and eccentric characters which were beloved by her fans.
Her most notable television roles include Northern Exposure, Desperate Housewives, and Young Sheldon.
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While she also featured alongside stars like Michelle Pfeiffer and Tom Hanks in movies including French Exit and Sully.
Most recently she has featured in the Apple TV+ series Echo 3 which aired in 2022 and the movie The 8th Day which came out earlier this year.
Tributes have flooded in online with many calling her an "underrated" actress.
"Oh man, Valerie Mahaffey was always one of the most underrated and fantastic character actresses around," one fan wrote on X.
Most read in Celebrity
"She was in EVERYTHING! And no one did soft spoken, passive aggressive viciousness better!
"So Sad to hear she's passed and only 71. RIP."
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