Remembering the Stars We Lost in 2023

On Dec. 20, 2022, Quinn Redeker died at the age of 88. Daytime fans know Redeker best as DAYS villain Alex Marshall (a role he played from 1979-87), as well as multiple characters on Y&R. Although he played Nikki’s abusive father, Nick Reed, in 1979, the actor is best remembered by Y&R fans for playing Rex Sterling (A.K.A. Brian Romalotti) from 1987-94. During his years in Genoa City, Redeker earned two Daytime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor for his work as Rex.

Michael Levin was 90 years old when he passed away of natural causes on Jan. 6. The daytime icon played reporter Jack Fenelli on RYAN’S HOPE for its entire run, from 1975-89. He earned three Daytime Emmy Award nominations in the Outstanding Lead Actor category for his work and his pairing with Kate Mulgrew’s Mary Ryan created one of the soap’s most popular supercouples. Following his lengthy run on the beloved ABC soap, Levin also played a recast of John Eldridge (one of Lisa’s many ex-husbands) on ATWT and then appeared on ALL MY CHILDREN for a brief stint as Dr. Tim Gould.

After battling dementia for several years, Ben Masters succumbed to COVID and died on Jan. 11 at the age of 75. The actor had an extensive career in film and television (including playing Vic Stang on ANOTHER WORLD back in 1983) but was best known to soap fans for playing Julian Crane on PASSIONS during the NBC sudser’s entire 1999-2008 run.

Lisa Loring — who played Margo and Craig’s younger sister, Cricket, on ATWT for a time in the early 1980s — died on Jan. 28 at the age of 64 after having a stroke. The former child star is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Wednesday Addams on THE ADDAMS FAMILY, the iconic dark comedy sitcom that ran from 1964-’66. Loring was just six years old when she was cast as the braided young daughter of the creepy clan, but her portrayal of the death-obsessed little girl set the stage for other young actresses to play the character in the decades to come.

Cancer claimed the life of GH alum Annie Wersching (ex-Amelia) on Jan. 29 at the age of 45. At the beginning of her acting career, Wersching joined the cast of GH in 2007 as a woman out for revenge on Sam: Amelia wanted to avenge the murder of her father, Bill Monroe, and blamed Sam, who had married him to steal his fortune. After exiting the soap, she found success in primetime, starring as FBI Special Agent Renee Walker for the seventh and eighth seasons of 24. She also played Julia Brasher on BOSCH, Lily Salvatore on THE VAMPIRE DIARIES, Emma Whitmore on TIMELESS, Leslie Dean on RUNAWAYS, and Rosalind Dyer on THE ROOKIE. One of her final roles was playing the Borg Queen on STAR TREK: PICARD, just 10 years after her very first role in an episode of STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE.

Actor and musician Cody Longo passed away at the age of 34 on Feb. 7 after a long struggle with alcohol abuse. Longo joined the cast of DAYS in 2011, bringing the character of Carly and Lawrence’s son, Nicholas Alamain, back to the canvas after an 11-year absence. The actor only played the role for a handful of episodes before Nicholas left town with Carly. Longo went on to star as rocker heartthrob Eddie Duran in the Nick at Night and TeenNick soap HOLLYWOOD HEIGHTS during the summer of 2012 opposite fellow soap grad Brittany Underwood (Langston, OLTL) and future soap star Melissa Ordway (Abby, Y&R).

Following a long battle with Alzheimer’s, veteran Hollywood actress Stella Stevens passed away on Feb. 17 at the age of 84. Although perhaps best known for her roles in films like The Nutty Professor and The Poseidon Adventure, the actress also enjoyed a stint on GH back in the late ‘90s. For a handful of episodes in both 1996 and 1997, Stevens played Jake, who was also known as the “Shady Lady,” the woman who owned the bar Jake’s, located in a particularly sketchy area of Port Charles. In 1999, she left town after selling Jake’s to Coleman. The name of the bar later became The Floating Rib after Luke bought it. Stevens also starred as Lute-Mae Sanders on the primetime sudser FLAMINGO ROAD and played Phyllis Blake (Gina’s mom) on NBC daytime soap SANTA BARBARA.

Beloved GH coordinating producer N’Neka Garland was just 49 when she died on March 27 after having a heart attack. Garland joined the GH staff as an executive assistant in 2001 and spent 22 years working on the soap. She became a producer in 2021, sharing a Daytime Emmy win with the rest of the team for Outstanding Drama Series, and that same year, writers named the hostess at Curtis’ club, The Savoy, after her.

Veteran television actress and writer Judy Farrell died on April 2 at the age of 84 after a stroke. Perhaps best known for playing Nurse Able on the classic TV sitcom M*A*S*H, Farrell also appeared in episodes of primetime series like EMERGENCY!, THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY, QUINCY M.E., BENSON, and FAME. She also enjoyed roles in movies like Intimate Strangers and Long-Term Relationship. In addition to her acting, Farrell also wrote for television, including an episode of FAME and the TV movie The Kid From Nowhere. She was also part of the writing staff of the GH spin-off series PORT CHARLES that ran from 1997-2003, penning multiple episodes of the soap.

Actress Bronwen Booth died on April 4 at the age of 59 after a battle with ampullary cancer. She was best known to daytime fans for her portrayal of OLTL’s Andy Harrison. After joining the cast in 1989, she played the role of Max Holden’s sister until 1991. Booth went on to appear in movies like The Call of the Wild, Airspeed, and Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. The actress could also be seen in episodes of LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT, SCRUBS, and NURSE JACKIE.

The daytime community has lost an icon when Elizabeth Hubbard lost her battle with cancer at the age of 89 on April 8. She began her career playing Anne Fletcher on GUIDING LIGHT in 1962. The following year, she joined the cast of THE EDGE OF NIGHT as Carol Kramer. In 1964, she took on the role of Dr. Althea Davis on NBC’s THE DOCTORS, which she played until 1969, returning for two more stints from 1970-77 and then 1981 until its cancelation in 1982. This role also earned Hubbard the very first Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.

After THE DOCTORS’ cancelation, Hubbard joined the cast of OLTL in the recurring role of society matron Estelle Chadwick from 1983-84. Then she moved back to CBS to play Lucinda Walsh on ATWT from 1984 until the soap’s final episode in 2010. There, she earned eight more Daytime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress for her performances.

The soap world was stunned when beloved GH star Jacklyn Zeman (Bobbie) died on May 9 following a short and private battle with cancer. Zeman, who was 70, launched her daytime career in 1976, playing the role of OLTL’s Lana McClain for a year. But then she was cast as Barbara “Bobbie” Jean Spencer on GH and became a soap star. During her time in Port Charles, Zeman received three Daytime Emmy Award nominations in the Supporting Actress category as well as a Lead Actress nomination.

Veteran actress Sharon Farrell — best known to soap viewers for her recurring role of Nina’s mom, Florence Webster, on Y&R — passed away on May 15 at the age of 82. Her debut role was in the 1959 film Kiss Her Goodbye; Farrell went on to appear in television shows like ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS, MY FAVORITE MARTIAN, WAGON TRAIN, GUNSMOKE, THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES, and I DREAM OF JEANNIE throughout the ‘60s. In the ‘70s, she starred as Lenore in the cult horror movie It’s Alive and continued appearing on the small screen in shows like THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN, KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER, POLICE WOMAN, and MAN FROM ATLANTIS.

Y&R alum Brett Hadley was 92 when he passed away on June 16 of sepsis due to bone infection. The actor was cast on Y&R in 1980 as Paul’s father, Carl Williams, and remained with the soap playing the police detective until 1990. He then returned for another run from 1998-99. In addition to his role on Y&R, Hadley also appeared in multiple episodes of MARCUS WELBY M.D. as well as making guest appearances in shows like POLICE STORY, THE WALTONS, KOJAK, THE COLBYS, HIGHWAY TO HEAVEN, and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. The actor could also be seen in films like Funny Lady, Next of Kin, and The Babe.

Following a long battle with cancer, veteran actor Nicolas Coster passed away on June 26 from complications of MDS (myelodysplastic syndromes), a type of blood cancer. During his prolific career, the 89-year-old actor appeared in numerous primetime series like WONDER WOMAN, DALLAS, MAGNUM P.I., and STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, as well as films like All the Presidents Men, Stir Crazy, and Reds. But Coster is probably best known for his work in daytime, appearing on multiple soaps. Back in the ‘50s and ‘60s, he was on THE SECRET STORM and YOUNG DR. MALONE, then played John Eldridge on OUR PRIVATE WORLD, the primetime spin-off of ATWT. In the ‘70s, he joined the cast of SOMERSET as Robert Delaney and in the ‘80s moved that character over to ANOTHER WORLD.

After a brief run on OLTL, Coster moved on to the role that he would be best known for, playing Lionel Lockridge on SANTA BARBARA. Following SANTA BARBARA’s cancellation in 1993, Coster moved on to play Eduardo Grimaldi on ATWT and in more recent years, portrayed Mayor Jack Madison on the streaming soap THE BAY. Nominated four times for his work on SANTA BARBARA, he finally took home a Daytime Emmy Award in 2017 for Outstanding Supporting or Guest Actor in a Digital Daytime Drama Series for THE BAY.

Jeffrey Carlson, the groundbreaking AMC actor known for playing one of daytime’s first trans characters, died on July 6 at the age of 48. Trained at NYC’s famed Juilliard School, Carlson worked on several Broadway productions before making his Pine Valley debut as rock musician Zarf — who later came out as a transgender woman named Zoe.

Soap hopper Andrea Evans was 66 when she passed away on July 9 following a battle with cancer. After landing some small parts in television and film, Evans was cast in her breakout role of Vicki’s sister, Tina Lord, on OLTL in 1978. She remained with the soap until 1981, then moved to CBS to play Patty Williams on Y&R from 1983 to ’84. She returned to OLTL, earning a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Ingenue, before exiting again in 1990. In 1999, Evans returned to daytime to play Amber’s trashy mother, Tawny, on THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL, and took on the role of PASSIONS’ Rebecca Hotchkiss in 2000, remaining until the soap’s finale in 2008. Later that year, she reprised OLTL’s Tina for a short-term run before returning again in 2011 as the soap was ending its run on ABC so that Tina could be reunited with Cord and the supercouple could remarry.

It was his 77^th birthday when actor Nick Benedict died on July 14. He had undergone emergency spinal cord surgery on July 2, and two days later, was admitted to hospice paralyzed from the neck down. He began his acting career in the late 1960s, appearing on a variety of television shows. In 1977, Benedict was cast as Vietnam veteran Philip Brent on AMC, who found himself torn between Tara and Erica. In 1979, he earned a Daytime Emmy Award nomination in the Outstanding Actor category for his work on the soap. In addition to his AMC run, Benedict played Michael Scott on Y&R in 1981 (the man Victor trapped in a bomb shelter believing he’d slept with his wife); Ron Washington on ANOTHER LIFE from 1982-’83; and a handful of SANTA BARBARA episodes in 1990. In 1993, the actor began making recurring appearances on DAYS as Curtis Reed, Kate’s abusive ex and father to Austin and Billie.

Following a lengthy illness, Broadway and soap star Pamela Blair passed away at her home in Phoenix, AZ, on July 23. Blair, who was 73, had an extensive stage career, including starring as Val in the original Broadway cast of A Chorus Line. She also appeared in several soap operas, playing Elizabeth Ryan on RYAN’S HOPE, Rita Mae Bristow on LOVING, Mrs. Goodman and Maida Andrews on AMC, and Bonnie Broderick on ANOTHER WORLD. She earned a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series in 1987 for her work on AMC.

Nancy Frangione — who was the third actress to play AMC’s Tara Martin — died of undisclosed causes on Aug. 18 at the age of 70. In addition to her 1977-’79 run on AMC, Frangione filled in for Andrea Evans on OLTL as Tina Lord in 1985. However, the actress is perhaps best known for playing the villainess Cecile DePoulignac on NBC’s ANOTHER WORLD. After her initial run ran from June 1981 through November 1984, the popular schemer returned multiple times to stir up more drama on the soap in 1986, 1989, 1993, and finally, from October 1995 to June 1996.

Although Arleen Sorkin was best known for being the inspiration and voice behind the animated Batman villain Harley Quinn, soap fans remember Sorkin best as the eccentric Calliope Jones from DAYS. She received Daytime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in 1988 and 1989 for her work on the NBC soap. Sorkin wrapped her initial run on the soap in 1990 but made appearances in 1992, 2006, and 2010. Sadly, the actress, presenter, screenwriter, and comedian died on Aug. 24 at the age of 67 of multiple sclerosis.

According to a statement from Billy Miller’s devastated mother, the actor fought a long battle with bipolar depression for years before he surrendered his life on Sept. 15 — just days shy of his 44^th birthday. Miller got his first big break playing AMC’s Richie Novak in August 2007. By the following September, Miller had parted ways with AMC and had taken over as the latest recast of Billy Abbott on Y&R. Before exiting the CBS soap in January 2014, Miller earned five Daytime Emmy Award nominations and took home the trophy for Supporting Actor in 2010 and 2013, as well as Lead Actor in 2014. Miller then joined GH as a recast Jason Morgan in October 2014 and earned himself another Outstanding Lead Actor Daytime Emmy nomination in 2018. And when Steve Burton returned in 2017 to reclaim the role of Jason, the soap then retconned Miller’s character to be his previously unknown twin brother, Drew Cain.

Longtime ABC-TV and Disney photographer Craig Sjodin, 67, died on Sept. 15 as a result of injuries he suffered in a bicycle accident. During his tenure at the Mouse House, Sjodin worked as a still photographer on shows like THE BACHELOR, THE BACHELORETTE, GREY’S ANATOMY, NASHVILLE, DANCING WITH THE STARS… and of course, GH.

Pulmonary fibrosis claimed the life of veteran actor Mark Goddard on Oct. 10 at the age of 87. For three seasons, he starred as Major Don West in the 1960s sci-fi classic LOST IN SPACE, but Goddard’s credits also included daytime dramas. In 1981, he played Ted Clayton on OLTL, and in 1982, he played Lt. Paul Reed on THE DOCTORS. His longest soap gig was that of GH’s Derek Barrington, the playboy son of socialite Amanda Barrington, from 1984-86.

DARK SHADOWS star Lara Parker died in her sleep at home on Oct. 12 at the age of 84. In addition to playing the witch Angelique (among other roles) on the cult classic soap from 1976-1971, she reprised the role for the 1971 feature film Night of Dark Shadows. Parker also appeared as Carol Phipps on OLTL in 1985 and as Linda Vandenburg on CAPITOL from 1985-86.

The daytime community was shocked when Emmy winner Tyler Christopher died on Oct. 31 at the age of 50 following a cardiac event at his home in San Diego. Christopher made his daytime debut in April 1996 as GH’s Nikolas Cassadine. During his time with the ABC soap, he received four Daytime Emmy nominations, taking home the Outstanding Lead Actor Award in 2016, the same year he exited. In 2017, Christopher joined the cast of DAYS in the newly created role of Stefan DiMera. He made his first appearance in December 2017, and last aired in March 2019, earning another Daytime Emmy nomination that year for Lead Actor.

Peter White, who soap fans will remember for his role of Lincoln “Linc” Tyler on AMC, died on Nov. 1 at his Los Angeles home. Although perhaps best known for playing Alan McCarthy in both the Off-Broadway play The Boys in the Band as well as the 1970 film adaptation, White spent six years in Pine Valley playing Phoebe’s son. He played the role from 1974-80 and then continued to make appearances in the years that followed, up until his final one in 2005. White, who was 86, had melanoma.

One of daytime’s trailblazing actresses, Ellen Holly, was 92 when she passed away in her sleep on Dec. 5. As Carla Gray-Hall on OLTL, Holly broke ground as the first Black performer to hold a starring role on a daytime television series when she was cast in 1968. OLTL creator Agnes Nixon was inspired by Holly’s real-life experience as a light-skinned African American in creating the character. For months, viewers believed that Carla was white; the reveal of her true identity — which came during Carla’s first scene with her mother, Sadie, the head of housekeeping at Llanview’s hospital — was a landmark moment in the soap’s history. Holly remained with the soap until 1980 and returned for another run from 1983-’85. She also appeared as Judge Frances Collier on GL in the late ’80s and early ’90s.

At the age of 93, veteran actor Jack Axelrod passed away of natural causes on Nov. 28. His decades-long career included credits on KOJAK, HILL STREET BLUES, DALLAS, and DYNASTY, but soap fans will remember Axelrod for playing GH mobster Victor Jerome from April 1987 until the villain was killed off in October 1989.

Following a brief battle with cancer, Kamar de los Reyes died on Christmas Eve. The actor starred on OLTL as Detective Antonio Vega from 1995 until 2009. He earned five ALMA Award nominations for his work, winning the Actor in a Daytime Soap Opera category in 2008. The actor was 56 years old.