Valerie Mahaffey, Young Sheldon Star, Passes Away at 71: A Heartbreaking Loss

Valerie Mahaffey, who appeared as Ms. MacElroy in Young Sheldon, has passed away at the age of 72. Many of Mahaffey’s roles throughout her career made her the star she was, but her role in The Big Bang Theory spinoff was one of her more recent, well-known roles. However, Mahaffey’s career goes far beyond her recurring role in the ABC series and will be remembered for her almost five decades of work.

According to ABC News, Mahaffey’s passing was confirmed via her publicist, Jillian Roscoe, on May 31, confirming the actress died last Friday. Mahaffey is survived by her husband, actor Joseph Kell, as well as their daughter, Alice Richards. Kell shared a statement with ABC News following Mahaffey’s death, short but showed how much his wife meant to him and those who watched her career flourish.

I have lost the love of my life, and America has lost one of its most endearing actresses. She will be missed.

Valerie Mahaffey Passed Away From Cancer

She Was 71

In the ABC News statement, it was confirmed that Mahaffey had passed away after battling cancer. It was never revealed what type of cancer Mahaffey had and how long she had been dealing with the illness. Mahaffey, or anyone from her team, confirm she was diagnosed with cancer before her passing, which made the news all the more sad and shocking.

Valerie’s On-Screen Career Leaves A Lasting Impression

She’s An Emmy Award Winner

Throughout her almost five decades of working in Hollywood, Mahaffey has left a lasting impression on viewers who had the pleasure of seeing her work. Besides her role as Ms. MacElroy on Young Sheldon, Mahaffey has appeared in various other well-known TV shows. She had a major recurring role in the CBS drama series Northern Exposure as Eve, a hypochondriac, even winning an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role. Her role as Eve is her most celebrated, but Mahaffey has played so many memorable characters throughout her career, no matter how big or small.

As the spinoff of The Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon has a lot of easter egg references to the original series. We recap ten of the best of them.

In one of her first major roles, Mahaffey played Ashley Bennett in the soap opera The Doctors from 1979–1981 and was even nominated for a Daytime Emmy. Mahaffey also played a main role in the three-season crime drama Big Sky as Helen Pergman. In addition to her major TV roles, she had several small but memorable parts in other shows, such as Seinfeld, The Mindy Project, Desperate Housewives, Wings, and several other iconic series. The Young Sheldon star was a legendary actress with a plethora of remarkable roles, and what she brought to the screen will be missed.