Valerie Mahaffey, star of Young Sheldon and Northern Exposure, passes away at 71

Valerie Mahaffey of Young Sheldon and Northern Exposure fame has tragically passed away on Friday. At the time of her death, Valerie Mahaffey was 71 years old. According to publicist Jillian Roscoe, Valerie Mahaffey had been battling cancer and succumbed to the terminal illness. Following her passing, Mahaffey is remembered for playing unconventional and eccentric characters.

Here's everything that you need to know.

Valerie Mahaffey started her career in New York

Mahaffey was born on June 16, 1953, in Indonesia. She was brought up there till she was eleven years old. She then came to the States and graduated from Austin High School. The actress then went on to complete her graduation from the University of Texas in 1975.

Mahaffey kick-started her acting career in New York. She honed her craft by appearing on Broadway productions a total of six times between 1976 and 1984. Two of the notable Broadway productions in which she contributed around that time are Play Memory, directed by Harold Prince, and Raul Julia starrer Dracula.

Apart from her theatrical career, Mahaffey also began appearing on television around the same time. She portrayed the character of Ashley Bennett on the soap opera Doctors. For her role on the NBC show, she was even nominated for a Daytime Emmy award. NBC's The Powers That Be, which aired between 1992 and 1993, was another show that saw Mahaffey making regular appearances.

She is also remembered for playing the character of Emma Pillsbury's mother on Glee, airing on Fox between 2011 and 2013. Apart from this, she often showed up in episodes of shows like Seinfeld, ER, The Mindy Project, and acted in roles in films such as Seabiscuit and Sully.

Valerie Mahaffey is survived by her husband and daughter

Mahaffey is survived by her husband, Joseph Kell, and their daughter Alice. In a recently released statement following the death of the actress, Kell mentioned:

"I have lost the love of my life, and America has lost one of its most endearing actresses."

Mahaffey delivered several memorable performances on the stage, including her performance as Desdemona in Othello alongside Morgan Freeman. She also appeared as Juliet alongside Tom Hulce in Romeo & Juliet. Throughout her theatrical career, Mahaffey ended up winning several awards, such as the Obie Awards, for her contribution to the play Top Girls, which was staged at the Public Theatre and also on the Alan Bennett play Talking Heads at the Minetta Lane.

Trending

Keep reading SoapCentral for more such information!

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback