Desperate Housewives and Young Sheldon actress Valerie Mahaffey, who had roles in a series of other TV shows and movies, has died age 71. Her publicist announced the news today
Valerie Mahaffey, best known for her roles in Desperate Housewives and Young Sheldon, has died at the age of 71. The actress’ death was announced by her publicist.
The Emmy-winning actress was diagnosed with cancer and died in Los Angeles on Friday. Her husband Joseph Kell has since spoken out and shared his heartache as he has lost the love of his life.
Valerie rose to fame for her quirky characters that she played including in works such as Northern Exposure, Desperate Housewives and Young Sheldon. She has also worked alongside some of the biggest names in the business including Michelle Pfeiffer and Tom Hanks.
Speaking to Variety, Valerie’s husband said: “I have lost the love of my life, and America has lost one of its most endearing actresses. She will be missed.”
Some of Valerie’s most recent acting roles were starring in Apple TV+ series Echo 3, which aired in 2022, and the movie The 8th Day, which came out this year. During her career, Valerie has scooped awards as she won the supporting comedy actress Emmy in 1992 for her portrayal of Eve in Northern Exposure, which ran from 1990 to 1995.
Tributes have flooded in across social media mourning the death of Valerie. One fan wrote: “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.” While another wrote on X: “Oh man, Valerie Mahaffey was always one of the most underrated and fantastic character actresses around.”
Valerie was born in Indonesia in 1953 and was raised there until she was 11-years-old. She then went on to graduate from Austin High School and then again in 1975 from the University of Texas.
Her acting career first started in New York when she appeared on Broadway six times from 1976 to 1984 in Dracula and Play Memory, directed by Harold Prince. During this time, she began her TV career as she had a role in the NBC soap opera The Doctors, in which she was nominated for a Daytime Emmy.
Valerie also took to the stage with other A-list actors including playing Desdemona in Othello alongside Morgan Freeman and Juliet in Romeo and Juliet with Tom Hulce.
Going through the coronavirus pandemic made Valerie focus on being a more “authentic person”. In an interview with Film Speak, she said: “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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