Valerie Mahaffey, the award-winning actress known for her roles in Desperate Housewives and Young Sheldon, has died at 71. Mahaffey, who had been battling cancer, passed away on Friday in Los Angeles, her publicist Jillian Roscoe confirmed per the Daily Mail.

With a career spanning over four decades, she is survived by her husband, Joseph Kell, and their daughter, Alice.

Her Husband told Variety, “I have lost the love of my life, and America has lost one of its most endearing actresses. She will be missed.”

Valerie Mahaffey was born on June 16, 1953, in Sumatra, Indonesia.Her Mother was Canadian with a Texan father, Mahaffey spent her early years in Nigeria, England, and Canada before settling in Austin, Texas, at age 16. Continues…