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.
“I have lost the love of my life, and America has lost one of its most endearing actresses,” her husband Joseph Kell told Variety while paying tribute to his beloved wife.
“She will be missed.”
The award-winning actress is survived by Kell and their daughter Alice.
Valerie was known for playing quirky and eccentric characters which were beloved by her fans.
Her most notable television roles include Eve in Northern Exposure, Alma Hodge in Desperate Housewives, and a frustrated teacher in Young Sheldon.
She also featured alongside stars like Michelle Pfeiffer and Tom Hanks in movies including French Exit and Sully.
Most recently she has starred in the Apple TV+ series Echo 3 which aired in 2022 and the movie The 8th Day which came out earlier this year.
Valerie, who was born in Indonesia in 1953 to her Canadian mother and Texan father started her acting career on Broadway in the 1970s.
But her first television role was in the NBC daytime soap The Doctors in 1979 – a year later she was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
However, it was not until 1992 that she took home an Emmy in the same category for her part as Eve, the extreme hypochondriac in CBS’ Northern Exposure.
As well as regularly starring as a cast member in a range of television series and movies, Valerie has also made guest appearences on a number of shows including Law & Order SVU, CSI, and Frasier.
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.
“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.”
“She will always be Eve to me. Hilarious,” another wrote.
“Very sad to hear about the passing of Valerie Mahaffey, a brilliant comedian and a gem of a human being,” a third added.
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