We are already at halfway through the year and just when we thought the losses daytime had been hit with couldn’t get any worse, tragedy struck again. In January, we said goodbye to Days of Our Lives legend Bill Hayes (Doug), All My Children’s Alex Musser (Del) and in March, soap hopper and beloved Ryan’s Hope alum Malachy McCourt (Kevin), as well as others…
The month continued and so did the solemn news when word came that former General Hospital actress Robyn Bernard had passed away at 64. She’ll always be remembered by fans of the ABC soap for playing Bobbie’s stepdaughter Terry. A few days later, the Port Charles-based show was hit with another blow with news of Beth Peters’ passing. The actress appeared as Agnes, the woman who lived on the farm where Luke and Laura took refuge while on the run. Others lost including Capitol and Generations actor Ron Harper (Baxter; Peter), The Young and the Restless’ Jennifer Leak (ex-Gwen) and Peyton Place and All My Children’s Barbara Rush (Marsha; Nola) followed.
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April brought more sadness as the Young & Restless grieved Meg Bennett (ex-Julia) and Marla Adams (ex-Dina). Eric Braeden (Victor), who played Bennett’s onscreen husband, shared, “She was such a bright and gentle lady! I remember she taught me about the history of soaps and the actors in it!”
My first “wife” Julia, played by my friend MEG BENNETT, has passed away! She succumbed to the ravages of cancer! I had not seen much of MEG in the last years, except at my 40th anniversary!
She was such a bright and gentle lady! I remember she taught me about the history of…— Eric Braeden (@EBraeden) April 22, 2024
And of Adams, Beth Maitland, who played her onscreen daughter Traci, expressed, “The earth stopped turning for a moment when my Marla passed to eternity.”
General Hospital’s Dabney Coleman (ex-Gail) passed away on May 16 and a little over a week later, devastation rocked daytime when Johnny Wactor (ex-Brando) he was shot and killed on the streets of Los Angeles during an attempted robbery. His castmates took to social media to share their condolences and memories of the late star, who was only 37 years old, including Nicholas Alexander Chavez (ex-Spencer), who stated, “I’m beside myself with sadness. The last time I saw you, we ran into each other by accident in Los Angeles. When we recognized each other your face lit up and you ran essentially across the room to give me a big and tight hug… You were a phenomenal friend and you always made me feel welcomed and loved.”
Johnny —
I’m beside myself with sadness. The last time I saw you, we ran into each other by accident in Los Angeles. When we recognized each other your face lit up and you ran essentially across the room to give me a big and tight hug. You were a strong and kind person. You were… pic.twitter.com/ZaIHYY7hKW
— Nicholas Alexander Chavez (@nicholasachavez) May 27, 2024
Elizabeth MacRae, who had roles on General Hospital, Another World, Days of Our Lives, Guiding Light and Search for Tomorrow also passed away that May and in June, we said goodbye to Santa Barbara’s Janis Paige (Minx) and One Life to Live’s Alan Scarfe (Leo).
We invite our readers to open our memorial photo gallery below to look deeper into the stars’ careers as we pay tribute to those the industry has lost this year.