The Young And The Restless Actors You May Not Know Passed Away

"The Young and the Restless" is one of the longest-running daytime dramas in TV history. Debuting in 1973, the series created by William and Lee Phillip Bell follows the lives of dueling Genoa City families, the Abbotts and the Newmans, and their businesses in the cosmetics industry. The Emmy-winning CBS soap opera has aired more than 12,000 episodes over its nearly 50-year run.

Because "Y&R" has been on the air so long, the cast of characters has changed over the years. Some of the longest-running stars on the show include Doug Davidson (who plays Paul Williams), Eric Braeden (Victor Newman), and Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki Newman), all of whom have been on the show since the late 1970s/early '80s. Other big-name "Y&R" alumni include Eileen Davidson (Ashley Abbott), Catherine Bach (Anita Lawson), and Peter Bergman (Jack Abbott).

Sadly, with such a large cast, the show has also lost some of its biggest stars over the past several decades.

Terry Lester played the original version of Genoa City playboy Jack Abbott on "The Young and the Restless" from 1980 to 1989, per IMDb. The villainous character was one that viewers had a love-hate relationship with. Jerry Douglas, who played Jack Abbott's father, John, on the CBS soap, once told Soap Opera Digest, "Terry had an edge, where he could play Jack as a heavy and get away with it. You just loved to hate him."

Fans were stunned when Lester quit "Y&R" in 1989 and was replaced by Peter Bergman. Still, the actor didn't leave the soap world altogether. Lester went on to star in roles on rival NBC daytime dramas "Santa Barbara" and "As the World Turns."

On November 28, 2003, Lester died suddenly at age 53, according to The Los Angeles Times. While his cause of death was not initially reported, it was later revealed that Lester passed away after suffering a heart attack.

Longtime "Young and the Restless" fans first met Jeanne Cooper in 1973, when she debuted her role as Katherine Chancellor on the CBS soap opera. The wealthy wife of Phillip Chancellor II was embroiled in a long feud with her husband's mistress, Jill Abbott (Brenda Dickson). In 1984, Cooper made headlines when her real-life facelift was incorporated into a "Young and the Restless" storyline, which included her hospitalization and recovery, per Screen Rant.

Cooper would become the longest-running cast member on the show, appearing in over 1,400 episodes over a 40-year period before her death, per IMDb. The actress scored two Daytime Emmy awards for her performance as the Chancellor matriarch and appeared on almost every episode during her four decades on the series.

Cooper died on May 8, 2013, according to The New York Times. At the time, her son, actor Corbin Bernsen, revealed that his mother had died in her sleep. She was 84 years old. Katherine Chancellor's death was written into the show a few months later. Bernsen officiated the memorial service for her character, per Today, as several powerful tribute episodes looked back at Cooper's iconic career.

Beau Kazer made his debut as Brock Reynolds, the adult son of Katherine Chancellor, in 1977. He recurred in the role until 2013, per IMDb. During his recurring role as Brock, Kazer's character's on-screen love interests included Lorie Brooks (Jaime Lyn Bauer), Jill Foster (Brenda Dickson), Julia Newman (Meg Bennett), and several more, according to The Wrap. The Canadian actor's resume also included roles on "Barnaby Jones," "B.J. and the Bear," and "Hart to Hart," as well as the 1976 Martin Scorsese classic, "Taxi Driver."

A little more than a year after the death of his TV mom, Jeanne Cooper, Kazer died in his sleep on December 30, 2014, after battling undisclosed health issues for two years, his wife Sharon Alkus told The Hollywood Reporter. He was just 63 years old when he died. At the time of his death, Kazer had been writing a book, "Adventures in Honkerville," which his wife said she hoped to finish for him.

Kristoff St. John played Neil Winters on The Young and the Restless" from 1999 to 2019. Over his 20-year run on the show, he logged over 1,800 episodes, according to IMDb. Long before he landed his role as the handsome makeup company executive on the CBS soap, St. John was a child star who appeared on "Happy Days," "That's My Mama," and "Wonder Woman," and later on "The Cosby Show" as a teenager. He also played a pre-teen version of Alex Haley in the miniseries sequel, "Roots: The Next Generation."

Sadly, the Emmy-winning actor was found dead at his Los Angeles area home on February 3, 2019 at age 52. Toxicology reports indicated that St. John died of hypertrophic heart disease, and that alcohol was also a factor in his death but not the primary cause, as reported by USA Today. Anti-anxiety medications were also found in the late actor's system. St. John's death came four years after his 24-year-old son, Julian, died by suicide, according to People.

Quinn K. Redeker was a veteran of the daytime television industry. In addition to starring in over 200 hundred episodes of "The Young and the Restless," he also starred in more than 800 episodes of the soap opera "Days of Our Lives." He also notably co-wrote the story to the classic 1978 Michael Cimino Vietnam War film "The Deer Hunter," which was one of Redeker's only screenwriting credits throughout his lengthy career. The film earned him a Best Original Screenplay Oscar nomination, which he shared with Cimino and co-writers Deric Washburn and Louis Garfinkle.

Redeker was a part of "The Young and the Restless" from the show's debut year. He first played the role of Nick Reed in several episodes before switching to the character of Rex Sterling for many years. He also filled in for the smaller role of Brian Romalotti for a single episode. Redeker passed away from natural causes in December of 2022 at the age of 86. Redeker had spent the last decade of his life in retirement; his final film role came in 2012's "Big Miracle," in which he played Ronald Reagan.

Jerry Douglas starred in nearly 1,000 episodes of "The Young and the Restless." He first joined the series in 1981 in the role of John Abbott. After over two decades on the show, the character was killed off, but returned frequently from the afterlife as a ghost. In 2008, he began playing the character of Alistair Wallingford as well as continuing to play Abbott's ghost. Douglas also guest-starred on shows like "Melrose Place" and "Cold Case" and appeared in small roles in movies like "Mommie Dearest" and Oliver Stone's "JFK." Back in the '60s and '70s, Douglas was a part of many of the most popular shows on television, including "Mission: Impossible," "Bonanza," "Ironside," "Mannix," and "Gunsmoke."

In 2021, Douglas passed away at the age of 88. Douglas's final television role was "The Young and the Restless," in which he last appeared in 2016. The show's executive producer, Anthony Morina, released a heartfelt tribute to Douglas and his family on behalf of the series crew in the aftermath of his passing.

Michael Tylo played both the role of Blade AKA Alexander Bladeson and his twin brother Rick on "The Young and the Restless." He was also a part of the soap operas "General Hospital," "All My Children," "The Bold and the Beautiful," and "Guiding Light." Tylo spent most of his career working exclusively in daytime television, but he was also involved in projects like "Lonesome Dove," "Mr. Deeds," and "Race to Space," and was a major part of the '90s "Zorro" TV show.

Tylo passed away in 2021 at the age of 72. His final role was in the mini-series "Nightwing: The Series." Tylo provided the voice of the comic book character Deathstroke while the physical performance was performed by Bob Lee Dysinger. Though his final credit arrived in 2014, Tylo remained involved in acting as a teacher at the University of Nevada. His 2012 film "Stealing Las Vegas" was made with the students from his film and theater class.

Russell Latham was involved both in front of the camera and behind the scenes with "The Young and the Restless." Latham only acted a couple of times throughout his life and mostly worked as a hairstylist. He served as a hairstylist on "The Young and the Restless" and was eventually added to the cast. As a performer, he was involved in the show from 1994 to 2005. He played multiple roles, including a spin on himself as a character named Russell as well as a different hairstylist character, which helped keep his lack of acting experience from being too much of a hurdle.

Latham also served as a hairstylist for unscripted shows like "America's Got Talent" and movies like "The Last Samurai" with Tom Cruise. He was a two-time Emmy nominee for his hairstyling on "The Young and the Restless" and "America's Got Talent." While still working on "America's Got Talent" and the short-lived Paul Abdul series "Live to Dance," Latham passed away. He was 54 years old and died as a result of kidney failure after receiving extensive dialysis treatment. His Emmy nomination for "America's Got Talent" arrived just one month before his death.

Sally Kellerman enjoyed a stint on "The Young and the Restless" as the paraplegic Constance Bingham, who was eventually killed off and became the center of a poisoning murder conspiracy before returning as a ghost. Kellerman began acting in the late 1950s and is best remembered for her iconic role as Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan in Robert Altman's classic 1970 film "M*A*S*H." The role earned her Best Supporting Actress nominations at both the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards.

She also appeared in high-profile projects like "Workaholics," "Norm," "Columbo," the original "Star Trek" series, and the Rodney Dangerfield film "Back to School." Near the end of her career, she played the notable recurring role of comedian Marc Maron's mother on the IFC series "Maron." Much of her career was spent working in the comedy genre, and her final performance was in the Hulu original comedy series "Difficult People" opposite Billy Eichner and Julie Klausner.

In 2022, Kellerman passed away at the age of 84. Her son revealed that she had been moved to an assisted care facility ahead of her passing to help in her struggle with dementia.

Dorothy Green was involved in the first iteration of the "The Young and the Restless" and appeared as early as the second-ever episode of the show's nearly 13,000 total. She played the role of cancer survivor and mother of four Jennifer Brooks from 1973 to 1977.

Green began acting in the early 1950s in the Golden Age of Hollywood. Her very first film turned out to be one of the biggest and best of her entire career. After making her small screen debut on "The Jack Benny Program," she made her feature film premiere with the major role of Lucy Chapman in the classic Fritz Lang film noir "The Big Heat." She also appeared briefly on big shows like "Hawaii Five-O," "Rawhide," "Hopalong Cassidy," "Perry Mason," and "The Love Boat."

After a long and successful career, Green passed away in 2008 after having a heart attack. Her character on "The Young and the Restless" also died of a heart attack in 1977.

Bonnie Franklin joined the cast of "The Young and the Restless" in 2012 as Sister Celeste, a nun. She may have gone on to be an even larger part of the show but she sadly passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2013 at the age of 69. "The Young and the Restless" was her final role at the end of a career that started in the 1950s when she began working as a child actor in projects like Alfred Hitchcock's "The Wrong Man."

Franklin was best known for her starring role on the sitcom "One Day at a Time," which ran throughout the '70s and '80s on CBS. Her performance earned her an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series as well as two Golden Globe nominations in the same category. She also appeared in small roles on shows like "Hot in Cleveland," "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.," and "Touched by an Angel."

Carmen Argenziano played the role of Dennis Elroy, a District Attorney on "The Young and the Restless." He had previously been a part of the soap opera "The Days of Our Lives" in the early 2000s. He was an incredibly prolific actor, appearing in over 200 different movies and television shows throughout his career. He is likely best remembered for his prominent role across seven seasons of "Stargate SG-1." He played Jacob Carter, who was also inhabited by the Tok'ra Selmak, making it something of a dual role for Argenziano that allowed him to show off his range as an actor.

Also on the small screen, he was in shows like "24," "Kojak," "Columbo," "The West Wing," "Melrose Place," "ER," "House," "CSI: New York," "The A-Team," "Cheers," and many more. In the world of film, Argenziano had large and small roles in big movies like "Swordfish," "Broken Arrow," "Sudden Impact," "Gone in 60 Seconds," "Punishment Park," "The Accused," and "The Godfather Part II." After building an impressively large and varied filmography, Argenziano passed away in 2019 at the age of 75.

K.T. Stevens played the role of Vanessa Prentiss on "The Young and the Restless" from the 1970s into the 1980s. Prentiss was a mother of two who hid her face behind a veil after being severely burned when saving one of her sons from a fire. Stevens exited the show with a plot that involved her character committing suicide but making it look like murder and framing Lorie Brooks (Jaime Lyn Bauer).

Stevens brought prior soap opera experience to "The Young and the Restless," having already played roles on "Days of Our Lives" and "General Hospital" throughout the '60s. Stevens began acting when she was two years old in films directed by her father, Sam Wood, during the silent era of cinema. She maintained a high volume of output all the way through the '70s with "The Young and the Restless" being her final substantial television role. She continued acting for several more years after leaving the series, though her output slowed down considerably. She appeared in just three other projects throughout the '80s and '90s, including "They're Playing with Fire," a single episode of "Knots Landing," and the film "Corrina, Corrina" with Whoopi Goldberg and Ray Liotta. Her final film was released just two months before she died in 1994 of lung cancer at the age of 74.

David Richards enjoyed a four-year stretch on "The Young and the Restless" in the role of Sid Garber. Richards began acting in the 1960s and continued acting right up until he died in 2009. He was undergoing chemotherapy treatment for leukemia when he passed away of heart complications.

Richards also appeared in small roles on big shows like "Seinfeld," "Star Trek: Enterprise," "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.," and "ER," and had also been a part of the soap opera "Days of Our Lives" before joining the cast of "The Young and the Restless." His filmography was rather small for a four-decade-long career because Richards did most of his acting on the stage rather than the screen. Richards was a native of Colorado and frequently returned to his home state for theatrical productions in between acting gigs in Los Angeles. He was known as a fixture of the Denver acting scene and was dubbed Mr. Crack-Up for his sense of humor in the theatre community.

Marcia Wallace played the role of criminal Annie Wilkes on "The Young and the Restless" and was involved in many high-stakes plots involving kidnappings, bombs, hostage situations, and even a mental institution breakout. The fact that her character shares a name with the iconic Stephen King villain Annie Wilkes from "Misery"—played by Kathy Bates in the film adaptation and by Lizzy Caplan in the "Castle Rock" TV show—seems to be a total coincidence.

Although she did also appear in a single episode of the soap opera "The Bold and the Beautiful," "The Young and the Restless" was a bit of a departure for Wallace. She worked most frequently in the comedy genre and as a voice actor in animated projects like "Captain Planet," the '90s version of "The Addams Family," the "Aladdin" TV series, and "Batman: The Animated Series." She was also a part of many popular TV shows like "The Brady Bunch," "Magnum P.I.," "Alf," "Taxi," "Full House," and "Bewitched."

Wallace is best known for her long-running roles as a lead on "The Bob Newhart Show" and as the voice of Springfield Elementary School teacher Edna Krabappel and, on occasion, additional characters on "The Simpsons." In 2013, Wallace passed away from complications of pneumonia after a lengthy struggle with breast cancer, for which she was active in raising awareness. "The Simpsons" executive producer Al Jean decided to retire the Edna Krabappel character rather than recasting the role. Canonically, Edna Krabappel died on the show when Wallace passed away, and a tribute to her was written on the blackboard at the start of an episode that aired just nine days after her passing.

Gloria LeRoy's career began back in the days of Vaudeville. She spent decades performing on stage as an actor, dancer, and burlesque performer before making the leap to acting in front of the camera. Her debut film was William Friedkin's "The Night They Raided Minsky's" in 1968. Many years later, she joined the cast of "The Young and the Restless" as a former maid of Katherine Chancellor's (Jeanne Cooper) who returns with a mysterious motive. She was a veteran of the soap opera market, having also acted on the shows "Days of Our Lives," "Passions," and "General Hospital."

In the years following her time on "The Young and the Restless," LeRoy kept busy with small roles on many large shows like "Drake & Josh," "Frasier," "Charmed," "Malcolm in the Middle," "Desperate Housewives," "Rules of Engagement," and Showtime's "Shameless." Her final performance was in the HBO sitcom "Getting On" in 2015. She passed away a couple of years later in 2018 at the age of 92 from natural causes. LeRoy's full body of work consisted of over 100 film and television roles and countless live stage performances.

Billy Miller was perhaps best known for his work as Billy Abbott on "The Young and the Restless" for more than 700 episodes over six years, from 2008 to 2014. During his time on the show, Miller initially played the love interest of Amber Moore after the character returned to the show following a multi-year hiatus. Miller was very successful in the role, and he earned Daytime Emmy Awards in 2010, 2013, and 2014, in addition to nominations in 2011 and 2015.

"The Young and the Restless" was one of Miller's first roles, and he also appeared on "All My Children" from 2007 to 2008. Following his time on "The Young and the Restless," Miller starred in "General Hospital" for nearly 600 episodes, earning himself another Daytime Emmy nomination in 2018 for his work on the show. His most recent work included a stint on "Suits" from 2015 to 2019 and on "The Rookie" and "NCIS" in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

On September 15, 2023, Miller died by suicide just days before his 44th birthday. After his death, his family noted that he had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder several years prior.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org

From 1991 to 1997, "The Young and the Restless" audiences fell in love with Florence "Flo" Webster, the mother of Nina Webster — one of the most long-standing characters on the show. For her entire run of 81 episodes, Flo was played by Sharon Farrell. Flo was a part-time sex worker, and also got married to Jim Adams, though it later turned out to be the result of a con. Later, Flo left the show to move to Los Angeles from Wisconsin.

Before her time on "The Young and the Restless," Farrell was already a very established actress. She began her career back in the late 1950s, and she was a mainstay on TV from the 1960s to the 1970s. Her biggest works — outside of "The Young and the Restless" — were probably her movie roles in "Marlowe" and "The Reivers," during which she shared the screen with both James Garner and Steve McQueen. "The Young and the Restless" was one of Farrell's last roles, though she also appeared on "JAG" in 1999 and "Broken at Love" for two episodes in 2013 and 2014, the latter of which earned her a nomination from the India Series Award for Best Guest Star.

Farrell passed away on May 15, 2023, from natural causes at the age of 82. Her sister announced her death on Facebook, noting that she passed away in Los Angeles.

Longtime fans of "The Young and the Restless" undoubtedly remember Andrea Evans' portrayal of Patty Williams and Tawny Moore over more than a dozen episodes from 1983 to 2010. In 1983 and 1984, Evans played Patty, and in 2010 she played Tawny for one episode. Tawny was actually a character from the sister show of "The Young and the Restless," "The Bold and the Beautiful," in which Evans appeared as Tawny for more than 150 episodes from 1999 to 2011. During Evans' time on the show, Patty was responsible for accidentally causing the miscarriage of Traci Abbott, and she ended her time on "The Young and the Restless" with Patty leaving Genoa.

Evans' initial run on "The Young and the Restless" from 1983 to 1984 was one of her earlier roles, though she had started acting a few years earlier in 1978 on the TV mini-series "The Awakening Land." Besides portraying Patty, Evans also starred in other well-known soap operas, "Passions" and "One Life to Live." She was on "Passions" for 627 episodes from 2000 to 2008, and she earned numerous Daytime Emmy and Soap Opera Digest Award nominations for her time on "One Live to Life" from 1979 to 2011.

Evans died on July 9, 2023, at the age of 66 years old from cancer, and her death sparked an outpouring of messages from former co-stars on social media. Evans' final role was on the crime drama "The Bay" for 12 episodes from 2017 to 2020.

As both Detective Carl Williams and later Jim Bradley, Brett Hadley certainly had a complex role during his tenure on "The Young and the Restless." Hadley starred on the show from 1980 to 1999, originally playing the role of Carl from 1980 to 1990, a detective for the Genoa City Police Department. Williams left the show in 1990, and for the next eight years, Carl was only referenced. However, Williams returned to "The Young and the Restless" in 1998, this time as Jim. As it turns out, Jim is actually Carl, though he suffers from amnesia and does not remember his former life as a detective, now going by a new name with a brand new identity. The character left the show for good in 1999, and has not returned since.

Hadley's portrayal of Carl/Jim was his most well-known role, although he began acting back in 1969. Besides "The Young and the Restless," Hadley's biggest roles were in the movies "Next of Kin" (with Patrick Swayze and Liam Neeson) and "The Mad Bomber." He also briefly starred in "Marcus Welby, M.D." from 1970 to 1976, and his final role was in the 2015 comedy short "Dreamcatchers."

Hadley was 92 years old when died on June 14, 2023, due to complications from sepsis.