One Life To Live Star Andrea Evans Dies At 66
Andrea Evans, a soap opera star who got her start as Tina Lord on "One Life to Live," died at the age of 66 on Sunday, July 9, 2023, according to People. Her former manager, Don Carroll, confirmed Evans died of cancer at her home in Pasadena, California. Her current manager, Nick Leicht, provided the following statement to the outlet, "I've been working with Andrea for the past 7 years. She was such a tremendous talent and an absolute joy to work with." She is survived by her husband, Stephen Rodriguez, whom she had been married to since 1998, as well as their daughter, Kylie.
She was a soap opera staple, also appearing in "The Young and the Restless," "The Bold and the Beautiful," and "Passions." However, Tina Lord is where most people were introduced to her, and she was even nominated for a Daytime Emmy for outstanding ingenue in a drama series in 1988 for the part. Her most recent role was on Prime Video's "The Bay," and there's little doubt soap fans are mourning the loss of such an immense talent.
Andrea Evans only ever wanted to be an actor
Andrea Lynn Evans was born on June 18, 1957 in Aurora, Illinois. She knew she wanted to perform at a young age, appearing in beauty pageants and commercials when she was little. She started acting when she was 10, and that was all she ever wanted to do. She said as much in a 2019 interview with Soap Opera News, "Acting is the only job I've really ever had. I started doing it when I was 10 years old. It's been something I have always loved and never tired of."
She became an instant hit when she first appeared as Tina Lord on "One Life to Live" in 1978. She starred in over 100 episodes of the soap up until 2011. While she had numerous other credits to her name over the years, she took a step back from the limelight for several years after an encounter with a stalker. She told People in 2008 that the fear "forever changed me. There's no way it could not." It made her particularly cautious of public events, but she returned to "One Life to Live" in 2008, stating, "It's time to give the audience what they want. And it's time for me to get closure on why I left in the first place."
In addition to acting, Evans worked for various animal rescue groups and the City of Hope. She also recently completed work on a memoir titled "My One Life to Live." While Evans may be gone, she left an impressive body of work for fans to remember her.