Young Sheldon Actress Valerie Mahaffey Dies at 71

Emmy-winning actress Valerie Mahaffey, best known for Northern Exposure, Young Sheldon, and Desperate Housewives, has died. She was 71. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the actress’ publicist confirmed that she had passed after a battle with cancer. Mahaffey is likely a familiar face to fans of classic TV from the ’90s. She had a slew of guest appearances in the top shows at the time, including a memorable Seinfeld appearance, cameos on Cheers, Wings, and Frasier. Younger audiences are likely more familiar with her appearances on Young Sheldon, where she played Victoria MacElroy for 14 episodes. Mahaffey’s husband released a statement confirming his wife’s passing on May 30th, honoring her with some sweet words in the process.

“I have lost the love of my life, and America has lost one of its most endearing actresses. She will be missed,” Joseph Kell said about the late actress.

Mahaffey was born in Indonesia and lived in the country until she was 11. Her life would later take her elsewhere around the globe, including Nigeria, Texas, and England, according to Variety. Her acting career started on Broadway, appearing in several plays in the 1970s, including Dracula with future Addams Family and Street Fighter star Raul Julia.

She won the Emmy for Best Supporting Actress for Northern Exposure back in 1992. She portrayed the hypochondriac wife of Adam Arkin’s character from the series. Other notable television roles include Alma Hodge on Desperate Housewives and Lorna Harding, Christina Applegate’s Netflix series, Dead to Me. Countless cameo appearances dropped between these major roles, including a small Frasier cameo as a temp secretary for the title character’s return to psychiatry, and the mother of Jayma Mays’ character Emma Pillsbury on Glee from 2011 until 2013.

Mahaffey was also a Daytime fixture on the NBC soap opera The Doctors from 1979-1980. She was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for her role as Ashley Bennett on the series. Fans could also catch her on the big screen in Disney’s Jungle 2 Jungle starring Tim Allen, Seabiscuit with Tobey Maguire and Jeff Bridges, and in 2016’s Sully with Tom Hanks and director Clint Eastwood.

She is survived by her husband, Kell, and their daughter, Alice. The actress will go down as a special soul for many, with friends calling her “naturally kind-hearted” who radiated warm and infectious energy to those around her. She will clearly be missed by her loved ones. Rest in peace. ComicBook sends our condolences to Mahaffey’s friends, family, and fans.