Celebrity

Valerie Mahaffey, the versatile American actor celebrated for her Emmy-winning turn on Northern Exposure and beloved for roles ranging from Desperate Housewives to Young Sheldon, has died at the age of 71. Her publicist confirmed on Saturday in Los Angeles that she succumbed to cancer after a private battle. Mahaffey’s death prompted an outpouring of tributes from co-stars, industry figures, and fans around the world, underscoring her status as one of television’s most endearing and accomplished performers.

Loretta Swit, best remembered for her role as Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan on the long‐running television series MAS*H, died on Friday at her home in New York City. She was 87 years old. According to her publicist, Swit likely succumbed to natural causes. Born on November 4, 1937, in Passaic, New Jersey, Swit was the daughter of Anna (née Lesniewski) and Andrew Swit, immigrants from Poland who settled in the United States in the early 20th century. Raised in a household that valued hard work and perseverance, Swit developed an early passion for the arts. She matriculated at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, one of the country’s most prestigious acting conservatories. There, she honed her craft in classical theatre, studying voice, movement, and dramatic literature, and prepared herself for a career on stage and screen.

Hollywood has long embodied the American Dream: a glittering world of fame, fortune, and creative triumph. Yet beneath the red carpets and spotlights lies a realm rife with cutthroat competition, broken promises, and shattered ambitions. It was against this backdrop that a seismic shift occurred in the late 1960s. The decline of the restrictive Hays Code, the ascendancy of television, and the influence of European art-house cinema opened the door for a new wave of storytellers and performers—an era forever known as “New Hollywood.”