‘northern exposure’ actress valerie mahaffey dead at 71: emmy-winner also appeared in ‘er,’ ‘seinfeld,’ ‘young sheldon’

Valerie Mahaffey, the Emmy-winning actress best known for her roles in “Northern Exposure,” “Big Sky” and “Young Sheldon,” has died at 71. Mahaffey died Friday following a short battle with

cancer, her husband, Joseph Kell, said in a statement. “I have lost the love of my life, and America has lost one of its most endearing actresses,” he heartbreakingly wrote. “She will be

missed.” Mahaffey, who was born in Indonesia to a Canadian mother and an American father, got her Hollywood break in the late 1970s with a role on the hit TV soap “The Doctors.” She

subsequently appeared in episodes of “Newhart,” “Cheers” and “Seinfeld,” before joining the cast of “Northern Exposure” in 1991. EXPLORE MORE The small-screen star won an Emmy for her role

as Eve in the whimsical CBS dramedy, which ran for six seasons. Mahaffey went on to appear in some of the biggest TV shows of the 1990s and 2000s, including “ER,” “Ally McBeal,” “Frasier,”

“The West Wing” and “CSI.” She also played Alma Hodge in nine episodes of “Desperate Housewives.” The industrious actress continued her impressive body of work into the 2010s, with roles in

“Glee,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “The Man In The High Castle.” Mahaffey later joined the cast of “Young Sheldon,” playing Mrs MacElroy from 2017 – 2020. She also had a lead role on the first

season of David E. Kelley’s crime drama “Big Sky.” In addition to her small-screen roles, Mahaffey also starred in several films, including 2016’s “Sully,” in which she appeared opposite Tom

Hanks.