Desperate Housewives and Young Sheldon star dies aged 71
Valerie Mahaffey, a talented actress known for her iconic roles in Desperate Housewives and Young Sheldon, has sadly passed away at the age of 71. Her publicist confirmed the news, revealing that she had been battling cancer and passed away in Los Angeles on Friday.
Valerie's husband, Joseph Kell, expressed his heartbreak, saying: "I have lost the love of my life, and America has lost one of its most endearing actresses. She will be missed."
Throughout her illustrious career, Valerie charmed audiences with her quirky characters in notable shows such as Northern Exposure, Desperate Housewives, and Young Sheldon, alongside A-list stars like Michelle Pfeiffer and Tom Hanks.
The Emmy-winning actress had continued to impress with recent roles in the 2022 Apple TV+ series Echo 3 and this year's film The 8th Day. Her outstanding performance as Eve in Northern Exposure earned her a supporting comedy actress Emmy in 1992.
As news of her passing spread, fans and fellow actors took to social media to pay tribute to Valerie's remarkable talent and legacy. One fan remembered her incredible range, saying: "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," reports the Mirror.
Another fan echoed the sentiment on X: "Oh man, Valerie Mahaffey was always one of the most underrated and fantastic character actresses around."
Born in Indonesia in 1953, Valerie spent her early years there before moving to the United States.
She graduated from Austin High School and later, in 1975, from the University of Texas.
Her acting career took off in New York, where she graced the Broadway stage six times between 1976 and 1984 in productions such as Dracula and Play Memory, under the direction of Harold Prince. Concurrently, she began her television career with a role in the NBC soap opera The Doctors, earning her a Daytime Emmy nomination.
Valerie shared the stage with other A-list actors, including playing Desdemona in Othello alongside Morgan Freeman and Juliet in Romeo and Juliet with Tom Hulce.
The coronavirus pandemic led Valerie to focus on becoming a more "authentic person". In a chat with Film Speak, she revealed: "It's time to divest of some things, to understand what's been terrible about yourself (which is really sad! ), but also to be kind to yourself... there used to be a bit of an act - I didn't want to offend people... but now my only job is to be authentic as a person, it kind of translates into your art and that has become pretty important to me."
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