
'Northern Exposure,' 'Young Sheldon' alum Valerie Mahaffey dead at 71
May 31 (UPI) -- Northern Exposure and Young Sheldon actress Valerie Mahaffey has died at the age of 71 after a battle with cancer.
Mahaffey's publicist, Jillian Roscoe, confirmed the sad news to The Hollywood Reporter Friday.
"I have lost the love of my life, and America has lost one of its endearing actresses. She will be missed," her husband Joseph Kell said in a statement to People.com.
Mahaffey's other credits include Echo 3, Dead to Me, French Exit, Big Sky, Desperate Housewives, Glee and Devious Maids.
Notable deaths of 2025
Jill Sobule Jill Sobule attends the GLAAD Media Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., on March 30, 2023. Sobule, the
Jill Sobule attends the GLAAD Media Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., on March 30, 2023. Sobule, the singer-songwriter behind "I Kissed a Girl," "Living Color" and "Supermodel," died at the age of 66 on May 2 from a house fire. Photo by Greg Grudt/UPI | License Photo
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UPI
2 hours ago
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Molly Gordon: 'Oh, Hi!' inspired by real heartbreak
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The misunderstanding about the nature of their relationship stems from both Isaac and Iris not speaking directly. Isaac doesn't want to be considered a jerk and Iris doesn't want to be seen as needy. "I think that we're all so scared of rejection and actually showing our true selves to people that women can sometimes only hear what they want to hear," she said. "And then men cannot be fully honest that they're not interested in somebody just because they don't want to hurt their feelings. I think that's not even gendered." The situation is exacerbated when Iris phones her mother, who encourages her to try to make it work. Then Iris goes down an internet rabbit hole of a relationship podcaster giving women advice on how to keep a man. "We all look on our phones and go, 'I can do this and I can do this and I can change this and I can do this,'" Gordon said. "But if you really sat with yourself, why would you want to force someone to be with you and change something about yourself?" 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Yahoo
7 hours ago
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UPI
8 hours ago
- UPI
Florida official under state investigation after hosting LGBTQ event
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