Remembering the Soap Stars We Lost in 2022

On Jan. 4, Joan Copeland passed away peacefully in her sleep at her Manhattan home on Central Park West. The 99-year-old actress was a veteran performer of stage, television, and film who had appeared on several soap operas during her extensive career. She played twins Maggie and Kay on LOVE OF LIFE from 1960-’63, and troublemaker Andrea Whiting on SEARCH FOR TOMORROW from 1967-’72. Copeland also had brief turns as THE EDGE OF NIGHT’s Mary Appleman, HOW TO SURVIVE A MARRIAGE’s Monica Courtland, ATWT’s Joan Rogers and Greta Aldrin, LOVING’s Claudia, and Nora’s mom on ONE LIFE TO LIVE, Selma Hanen.

With his wife by his side, THE EDGE OF NIGHT star Donald May passed away at home on Jan. 28 at the age of 94. After spending a decade playing Adam Drake on the ABC and CBS soap (from 1967-’77), May went on to play the mayor of Llanview on OLTL, Earl Foster on ALL MY CHILDREN, Raymond Speer on ATWT, and Grant Wheeler on TEXAS. He also had roles on primetime sudsers DALLAS and FALCON CREST.

Following a battle with dementia, Sally Kellerman died on Feb. 24 at an assisted care facility in Woodland Hills, CA. The veteran actress was best known for her Oscar-nominated role of Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan in the film M*A*S*H, but Y&R viewers remember her from her 2014-’15 stint as Constance Bingham, a wealthy elderly woman whom Adam conned into believing he was her grandson, Gabriel. Kellerman was 84.

On March 25, ATWT legend Kathryn Hays (Kim) passed away in Fairfield, CT, at 88. The fourth longest-running castmate of the CBS sudser, Hays made her debut on ATWT in 1972 as a troublemaking homewrecker before gracefully aging to become the Hughes family matriarch by the time the soap was canceled nearly four decades later in 2010.

Following a battle with cancer, Jossara Jinaro passed away on April 27 at the age of 48. In addition to her roles on ER and JUDGING AMY, Jinaro appeared as Rae on PASSIONS on and off from 2002-’07, and in a 2006 episode of Y&R as Rosa.

Jerry verDorn made left his mark on daytime audiences over the course of his career, first playing GL patriarch Ross Marler from 1979 until 2005 and then moving over to OLTL as a recast of Clint Buchanan, playing the character through the end of the broadcast run and the series’ online revival in 2013. Along the way, verDorn was nominated for multiple Daytime Emmy Awards, taking home the win twice in 1995 and 1996. The actor died on May 1 at the age of 72 after a months-long battle with cancer.

After battling breast cancer for three years, former ATWT star Marnie Schulenburg died on May 17, just days before her 38^th birthday. Schulenburg made her debut as Alison Stewart in a crossover episode of Y&R in 2007 before bringing the legacy character to Oakdale. She played the role until ATWT went off the air in September 2010, earning a Daytime Emmy nomination that same year.

Actress Lee Lawson began her television career on the CBS soap LOVE OF LIFE in 1965, playing Barbara Sterling. After making some guest appearances on primetime shows and performing in New York theater, Lawson briefly played OLTL’s Wanda Webb Woleck in 1979. But Lawson is best known to daytime audiences for her nearly 10-year run on GL, playing Reardon family matriarch Bea from 1981-1990. Lawson, who had battled cancer, died on May 22 at the age of 81.

Ray Liotta, 67, died in his sleep on May 26 while in the Dominican Republic filming the movie Dangerous Waters. While the veteran actor was known for his roles in Goodfellas, Something Wild, and SHADES OF BLUE, he started his career on ANOTHER WORLD, playing Joey Perrini from 1978-’81.

After it was mistakenly reported on July 26 that actor Tony Dow had passed away, the veteran actor died the following day, surrounded by his loved ones, after a battle with cancer. While Dow was famously known for his role of Wally Cleaver in the 1950s sitcom LEAVE IT TO BEAVER, he appeared on GH in the mid-1970s as police officer Ross Jeanelle and on NEVER TOO YOUNG in 1965 as race car driver Chet. Dow was 77.

Although best known for her groundbreaking role as communications officer Lt. Nyota Uhura on the original STAR TREK series, Nichelle Nichols made an impact when she appeared on Y&R in 2016 as Neil’s estranged mother, Lucinda Winters. The storyline in which Neil made peace with the mother who abandoned him before she passed away earned Nichols a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Performer and the late Kristoff St. John (Neil) an Outstanding Lead Actor nod. Nichols died on July 30 at the age of 89 from natural causes.

Critically injured after crashing her car into a Los Angeles home on Aug. 5, Anne Heche died a week later at the age of 53. The actress had slipped into a coma shortly after the accident, during which she suffered severe brain damage and bodily burns. She was placed on life support so her organs could be harvested for donation and died on Aug. 12. Heche’s acting career was launched shortly after she graduated high school when she was tapped by ANOTHER WORLD to play twins Vicky Hudson and Marley Love. During her 1987-1991 run, Heche was twice nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actress, taking home the honor the second time at the 1991 ceremony.

Just days after her family announced she’d entered hospice care, Robyn Griggs lost her battle with cervical cancer on Aug. 14 at the age of 49. A child actress, Griggs had played Molly in the Broadway production of Annie and made her daytime debut 1991 when she was cast as Stephanie Hobarton on OLTL. But she was best known to daytime audiences for her 1993-’95 run as Maggie Cory on ANOTHER WORLD.

Award-winning writer Michael Malone died at home in Clinton, CT, on Aug. 19 at the age of 80. One of daytime’s most prolific scribes, Malone was best known for his tenure as OLTL’s headwriter from 1991-’96. In addition to writing the critically acclaimed storyline in which Father Andrew befriended gay teen Billy Douglas, Malone created the character of Todd Manning and penned the gang rape of Marty Saybrooke and the subsequent trial. That storyline not only garnered Malone’s writing team a Daytime Emmy Award at the 1994 ceremony, but Hilary B. Smith (Nora), Susan Haskell (Marty), and Roger Howarth (Todd), all took home awards as well for their performances. In addition to his work on the ABC sudser, Malone held the top scribe spot at ANOTHER WORLD in 1997 before returning to OLTL in 2003.

Joe E. Tata was 85 years old when he passed away on Aug. 24 at a care facility in Woodland Hills, CA. The actor, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2018, had a long career which included THE ROCKFORD FILES, playing various villains on the original BATMAN series, and beloved Peach Pit owner Nate on BEVERLY HILLS, 90210 and its 2008 sequel series, 90210. On daytime, Tata portrayed Rudy King on GH and Warren on DAYS.

After a three-year battle with pancreatic cancer, actor Robert LuPone died on Aug. 27, in Albany, NY. The brother of Broadway icon Patti LuPone, he had earned a Tony nomination himself for playing Zach in the original Broadway production of A Chorus Line and co-starred in the film version of the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar as the Apostle James. LuPone’s daytime credits included Chester Wallace on RYAN’S HOPE in 1979, Tom Bergman on SEARCH FOR TOMORROW in 1983, Neal Cory on ANOTHER WORLD in 1985, and both Charley Nichols and Leonard Brill on LOVING in the early 1990s. The actor also earned a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for his work as AMC villain Zach Grayson in 1983, and he closed out his soap career playing shady lawyer Leo Flynn, one of Roger Thorpe’s minions, on GL in the ’90s.

Veteran actor Mark Miller was 97 years old when he died on Sept. 9. “My Papa’s beautiful soul left this Earth,” announced his daughter, actress Penelope Ann Miller. “He loved deeply and was loved by all who knew him. He touched many lives. He was funny, fun, and always creating. He cherished this life and saw the glass half full! I was blessed to call him my dad.” In addition to his work in primetime and theater, Miller played Randy Washburn on GH in 1965, Howard Jones on BRIGHT PROMISE in 1970, and J.R. Barnett on DAYS from 1975-’76.

Robert Gentry passed away on Sept. 17, just 12 days shy of what would have been his 82^nd birthday. He made his daytime debut in 1965 playing Brad Murphy on THE DOCTORS, and appeared on A WORLD APART, OLTL, GENERATIONS, DAYS, ANOTHER WORLD, and B&B over the course of his career. But Gentry was best known for his portrayal of GL’s Ed Bauer (from 1966-’69 and again from 1997-’98) and AMC’s Ross Chandler (1983-’89).

Ann Flood — who was the longest-running cast member on THE EDGE OF NIGHT thanks to her portrayal of Nancy Karr from 1962 until the soap went off the air in 1984 — died on Oct. 7 at the age of 87. She made her daytime debut playing Liz Fraser Allen on FROM THESE ROOTS from 1958-’61, and also portrayed Ella Hobbs on SEARCH FOR TOMORROW, Rose Livingston on ANOTHER WORLD, Bitsy Davidson on AMC, Helen Guthrie on OLTL, and Ruth Mansfield on ATWT.

Legendary actor John Aniston was 89 years old when he died on Nov. 11. He created the role of Victor Kiriakis on DAYS in July 1985 and played the character for over 30 years until his final appearance on the Dec. 26 episode — during which the soap honored the beloved actor with a montage of Victor clips through the years. The final scene of the episode featured the beloved yet cantankerous crime boss sailing off into the sunset on his yacht… aptly named Victor.

“You were one of the most beautiful humans I ever knew,” his daughter, actress Jennifer Aniston, wrote in announcing her father’s death. “I am so grateful that you went soaring into the heavens in peace — and without pain. And on 11/11, no less! You always had perfect timing. That number will forever hold, and even greater meaning for me now. I’ll love you ’til the end of time.”

On Nov. 16, veteran actor Robert Clary passed away at the age of 86. While primetime audiences best knew the French actor for playing Corporal LeBeau on HOGAN’S HEROES, he had numerous daytime credits to his name. He appeared on DAYS from 1972-’86 as Doug’s best friend, Robert LeClair, briefly appeared on Y&R in restaurateur named Pierre in 1973, then played another restauranteur named Pierre on B&B from 1990-’92.

The GH community was shocked when Sonya Eddy (Ephiphany) died on Dec. 19 at the age of 55. According to Eddy’s producing partner and close friend, Tyler Ford, she fell ill following a scheduled surgery on Dec. 9 and was admitted to the hospital on Dec. 15, where doctors discovered she’d developed a serious infection. After being placed on life support, Eddy passed away on Dec. 19. “I am heartbroken about the loss of the incredible Sonya Eddy,” said GH executive producer Frank Valentini in a statement. “I truly loved her, not only as an actress but as a friend. The lights in the hub of the nurse’s station will now be a little dimmer, but her spirit and light will live on in both the show and our set.”

Rita McLaughlin Walter passed away on Dec. 25 after a battle with brain cancer. Beginning her career as Patty Duke’s body double on THE PATTY DUKE show, the actress landed her first soap role on THE SECRET STORM playing Wendy Phillips. But she was best known as the beleaguered heroine Carol Deming on AS THE WORLD TURNS, a role she played from 1970-81.