Emmy-winning actress Valerie Mahaffey has died at age 71 after a battle with cancer, her rep announced on Friday, May 30.
Mahaffey had multiple highlights over her decades-long career, including fan-favorite roles such as Alma Hodge on Desperate Housewives — Kyle McLaughlin‘s character’s ex-wife — and recurring teacher Ms. MacElroy on Young Sheldon. She received an Emmy Award in 1992 for her role as Eve on Northern Exposure, one of her most popular characters. Additional well-known parts include three episodes of Glee and a recurring run on Dead to Me
Tragically, Mahaffey leaves behind her beloved husband, Joseph Kell, and daughter Alice.
“I have lost the love of my life, and America has lost one of its most endearing actresses,” Kell said in a heartwrenching statement, per Variety.
In 2021, Mahaffey spoke about her role opposite Michelle Pfeiffer in French Exit, in which she played Madame Reynard, an unexpected friend to Pfeiffer’s character and son, who recently moved to Paris in the dark comedy.
Her time spent working on the film — and surviving COVID — made her look inward at herself.
“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 . . . [in relating to the arts] 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, [and then] it kind of translates into your art and that has become pretty important to me,” she told Film Speak at the time.
