Emmy-winning actress Valerie Mahaffey dies at 71 after battle with cancer

Emmy-winning actress Valerie Mahaffey has died after a battle with cancer. She was 71.

Her career spanned nearly 50 years with an array of television and movie roles, including appearances in “Northern Exposure,” “Desperate Housewives,” and “Young Sheldon.” She also appeared on the ABC series “Big Sky,” “Dead To Me” and “Echo 3.”

Mahaffey won a supporting actress Emmy award in 1992 for her portrayal of Eve, the hypochondriac wife of Adam Arkin’s character in “Northern Exposure.”

Most recently, she received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for her role as the optimistic Madame Reynard in “French Exit.”

In a statement, her husband Joseph Kell said: “I have lost the love of my life, and America has lost one of its most endearing actresses. She will be missed.”

Mahaffey would have turned 72 next month.