Emmy-winning actress Valerie Mahaffey, known for her roles in Northern Exposure, Desperate Housewives, Young Sheldon, and Dead to Me, has died at the age of 71 after a battle with cancer. Her death occurred on May 30, 2025, in Los Angeles. The news was confirmed by her publicist, Jillian Roscoe, on Friday night.
Mahaffey's husband, actor Joseph Kell, shared a touching statement: "I have lost the love of my life, and America has lost one of its most endearing actresses. She will be missed." Mahaffey is survived by Kell and their daughter, Alice.
Born on June 16, 1953, in Sumatra, Indonesia, Valerie Mahaffey began her acting career in New York City. Her family moved to Austin, Texas, when she was 16. She graduated from Austin High School and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Texas at Austin in 1975. Mahaffey made her Broadway debut in the musical Rex.
Mahaffey's career spanned over four decades, showcasing her versatility and talent for playing eccentric and memorable characters. She began her television career as a regular cast member on the NBC daytime soap opera The Doctors from 1979 to 1981, earning a Daytime Emmy Award nomination in 1980 for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
In 1992, Mahaffey won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Eve, a chronic hypochondriac in the CBS series Northern Exposure. She was the only actor from the series to win an Emmy Award. From 2006 to 2007, she played Alma Hodge on ABC's Desperate Housewives, and from 2017 to 2020, she had a recurring role as teacher Victoria MacElroy on CBS' Young Sheldon. From 2019 to 2022, Mahaffey played Lorna Harding, Christina Applegate's mother-in-law, in the Netflix comedy-drama series Dead to Me.
Mahaffey also made numerous guest appearances on popular television shows, including Quantum Leap, L.A. Law, Ally McBeal, Judging Amy, The West Wing, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Frasier, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Private Practice, Boston Legal, Without a Trace, and Raising Hope.
In addition to her television work, Mahaffey appeared in several films. Her film credits include Senior Trip (1995), Jungle 2 Jungle (1997), Jack and Jill (2011), Sully (2016), and French Exit (2020). Her performance in French Exit, where she played Madame Reynaud, earned her critical acclaim and an Independent Spirit Award nomination. She also appeared in Seabiscuit (2003), Summer Eleven (2010), No Pay, Nudity (2016), If I Were You (2012), and A Previous Engagement (2008).
Most recently, Mahaffey was seen in the Apple TV+ series Echo 3 and had a recurring role on ABC's crime thriller Big Sky.
Industry tributes have been pouring in since the news of her passing, praising her professionalism, warmth, and talent. Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.
