Leslie Charleson

The daytime world lost an icon on January 12 when Leslie Charleson, the beloved daytime star who spent more than four decades playing Dr. Monica Quartermaine on GH, passed away at the age of 79 due to complications from a long illness. “Just to have that family established was the best thing in the world,” Charleson said of the Q clan in a 2016 interview with Digest. “They made them volatile and unique and rich and funny and wonderful, and you can’t ask for anything more than that!”

Before landing in Port Charles, Charleson made her television debut as Pam on A Flame In The Wind in 1964, moved to As The World Turns in 1966 as Alice Whipple, and starred as Iris Donnelly on Love Is A Many Splendored Thing from 1967-70.

Francisco San Martin

Francisco San Martin — who originated the role of DAYS’s Dario Hernandez in 2010 and played the short-term role of Forrester estate manager Mateo on B&B in 2017 — was found dead in his home on January 16. Just 39 years old, the actor died by suicide.

Tony Roberts

Two-time Tony nominee Tony Roberts, a prolific stage actor who appeared in 24 Broadway productions throughout his long career, was 85 when he passed away from complications related to lung cancer on February 7. Among his television roles were Lee Pollock on The Edge of Night from 1965-66 and Dr. Rosenstein on All My Children in 1994.

Bruce French

Complications from Alzheimer’s was the cause of death for Bruce French, who died on February 7 at 79. From 2001-08, he recurred as blind priest Father Lonigan on Passions, and appeared on prime-time soaps Dallas, Knots Landing, and Falcon Crest.

Peter ‘Navy’ Tuiasosopo

Film and television star Peter ‘Navy’ Tuiasosopo was 61 when he died from heart complications on February 10. Primarily known for his work on Street Fighter, The Fast and the Furious, and Magnum P.I., among others, Tuiasosopo also had a short stint on Y&R in 2011, playing store clerk Koa during the Hawaii storyline after Adam’s wife, Skye, faked her death.

Alice Hirson

On February 14, veteran actress Alice Hirson died from natural causes at the age of 95. Known for playing Mavis Anderson on the prime-time soap Dallas, daytime viewers knew Hirson as EDGE’s Stephanie Martin (1969-1970); Marsha Davis on Another World and its spin-off, Somerset (1970-72); One Life To Live’s Eileen Riley Siegel (1972-76); GH’s Mrs. Van Gelder (1982); and Loving’s Dr. Lisa Helman (1993).

Roberta Flack

Three years after being diagnosed with ALS, singer Roberta Flack — a real-life fan of Guiding Light who appeared on the show in 1992 to serenade Hampton Speakes and Gilly Grant with her hit “First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” at their wedding reception — died of cardiac arrest on February 24. The four-time Grammy winner, 88, also appeared on Loving in 1993 to sing “Amazing Grace” at Trisha’s funeral, and her iconic duet with Peabo Bryson, “Tonight, I Celebrate My Love,” was long used by DAYS as supercouple Bo and Hope’s theme song.

Michelle Trachtenberg

AMC alum Michelle Trachtenberg, who originated the role of Lily Benton Montgomery on the soap, was discovered dead in her New York City apartment by her mother in the early morning of February 26. According to the medical examiner, the 39-year-old’s sudden death was due to complications from diabetes.

Felicia Minei Behr

After a five-year battle with brain cancer, daytime executive Felicia Minei Behr, 82, passed away on March 2. After beginning her career as a secretary at CBS in 1960, Minei Behr worked as a production assistant on several shows before helping Agnes Nixon launch AMC as an associate producer in 1970; she remained with the show until 1975. She joined Ryan’s Hope as a producer in 1981, eventually becoming daytime’s first female executive producer in 1988. When that soap was canceled in 1989, she moved back to AMC as EP, helming Pine Valley for seven years and winning Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Drama Series (in 1992 and 1994). From 1996-99, she served as EP of ATWT, then became Senior VP of ABC Daytime in 2000, overseeing all the network’s soaps as well as The View until 2004.

Pamela Bach

Pamela Bach, once Y&R’s Mari Jo Mason, was found dead in her California home on March 5; the cause of death for the 62-year-old was suicide. A teenage model turned actress, Bach was working on Knight Rider in 1985 when she met and fell in love with series star David Hasselhoff, known to soap viewers from his time as Y&R’s Snapper Foster. The pair were married from 1989-2006, during which time Bach briefly appeared on Y&R, originating the role of the Jabot photographer in 1994 before Diana Barton took over.

Denise Alexander

Beloved daytime actress Denise Alexander died on March 5 at the age of 85 of natural causes, according to her stepson. In addition to her long-running roles as DAYS’s Susan Hunter Martin (1966-73) and GH’s Lesley Webber (which she initially played from 1973 to 1984, then again from 1996-2009), Alexander’s soap stints included Lois Adams on The Clear Horizon (1960), Emily Sanders on Ben Jerrod (1963), Lorna Hill on GH (1965) and Mary McKinnon on AW (1986-89). As she made one final GH appearance in 2013 for the soap’s 50^th anniversary, Alexander told Digest, “What I love the most is, there hasn’t been a single time they called that I couldn’t go back. I was traveling the world, producing and developing things, and yet with all of that, I never got a call where I couldn’t say yes. It’s as if it was ordered by the universe.”

James Houghton

One of Y&R’s original cast members, James Houghton died at the age of 75 on Aug. 27, 2024, of peritoneal mesothelioma, but it wasn’t until March of this year that his wife, Karen, was able to speak of his passing. Having originated the role of Greg Foster in 1973, Houghton exited the CBS soap three years later. In 2003, he returned for two episodes, sharing scenes with TV siblings Jess Walton (Jill) and William Gray Espy (ex-Snapper). In addition to numerous primetime roles (including Kenny Ward on Knots Landing and Cash Cassidy on The Colby’s), Houghton was an accomplished television writer who served on the teams at Days, B&B and Y&R — winning four Daytime Emmy Awards for his contributions to Genoa City.

Mark Dobies

At the age of 65, Mark Dobies passed away on March 11. Known to daytime fans for his roles as Dr. Noah Chase on GL from 2000-01 and Daniel Colson on OLTL from 2003-05 (with his district attorney character also making a brief appearance on sister show AMC in 2005), the former college athlete had transitioned to a career as a personal trainer in recent years.

Wings Hauser

The third actor to play Y&R’s Greg Foster, Wings Hauser died of natural causes on March 15; he was 77 years old. Initially portraying Jill’s brother from 1976-81, Hauser briefly returned to the soap for a handful of episodes in 201o when the siblings’ mother, Liz, passed away.

Remembering her former screen partner on Instagram, Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki, Y&R) wrote, “Am so sorry to learn of the passing of my dear friend, Wings Hauser. We loved working together. He played Nikki’s first husband, Greg Foster. We would walk over to Farmer’s Market together every morning to have breakfast at Dupar’s. With his script for that day always rolled up in his back pocket, I would laugh at his belief that he would learn his lines through osmosis. But it always seemed to work! We shared many powerful scenes. He was so talented and showed me the ropes. He would bring his children, Cole and Bright, to my house on weekends and have a blast. I had the joy of spending time with his children and getting to know his family, while working closely with him at the studio every day. The show was only a half hour then, but it was magical. The beginning of the great heights that Y and R has reached. I adored him and will forever cherish his memory. RIP my friend.🙏🏻”

Ruth Buzzi

Comedian Ruth Buzzi — who played Letitia Bradford on DAYS and Nurse Kravitz on Passions — passed away in her sleep on May 1. According to her family, the 88-year-old was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2012 and had been on hospice care after being disabled from a 2022 stroke. In addition to her numerous film and television roles, Buzzi won several Clio Awards for her work in commercials, was a prolific voice-over actor in animated projects, and was part of the original cast of Sweet Charity on Broadway before rising to fame as a member of the troupe on Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, the 1960s variety show for which she won a Golden Globe Award and received five Emmy nominations.

Pamela Peters Solow

Another one of Y&R’s original cast members, Pamela Peters Solow (above right, with TV mom Dorothy Green, Jennifer) was 75 when she passed away on June 4. She played the youngest Brooks daughter, Peggy, on and off from 1973 until 1984, appeared in multiple commercials and films, and on shows such as Happy Days, The Partridge Family, and Butch Cassidy.

Chris Robinson

On June 9, Chris Robinson, 86, died in his sleep just after midnight at his home in Sedona, AZ. Best known for playing GH’s Rick Webber from 1978-2013, the actor’s other daytime gigs included AW’s Jason Frame (1988-89), and B&B’s Jack Hamilton (1992-2005). “I am so sad, he will be missed,” Robinson’s GH stepdaughter, Genie Francis (Laura), wrote on X (formerly Twitter). Also sharing his thoughts on X, Kin Shriner (Scott) wrote, “Sorry to hear about Chris Robinson passing, we had such fun @GeneralHospital, he would love to find ways to get u to goof up your lines, I enjoyed our time there!”

Jack Betts

Actor Jack Betts was 96 when he passed away in his sleep on June 19. While the actor portrayed numerous soap characters throughout his career, he was best known to daytime viewers for his time on OLTL, where he played evil Ivan Kipling from 1979-85. Betts also appeared as Ken Martin on GH (1963 and 1965) and its spin-off, The Young Marrieds; Dr. Stein on EDGE and Hugh McCluskey on The Doctors (both in 1978); Mr. Kane on Texas (1981); Louis St. George on AW (from 1982-83); Lars Bogard on AMC (1983); Dr. David Glenn on Search for Tomorrow (1986); John Cutler on GL (1987); Hugh Gardner and Charlie Rescott on Loving (in 1989 and 1990, respectively); and Roberton on Y&R (2002).

Lynn Hamilton

On June 19, actress Lynn Hamilton (pictured second from right above) passed away from natural causes at the age of 95. Probably best known for her recurring roles on Sanford & Son and The Waltons, the actress appeared on numerous prime-time shows, films, and in several Broadway productions throughout her career. Hamilton’s soap roles were Maddie Washington on Rituals in 1985, Rita Carver on DAYS in 1987, Vivian Potter on Generations from 1989-91, Mae Dawson on Y&R in 1997 and Selita Jones on Sunset Beach that same year, and the second Alice Morgan on Port Charles in 1999.

Joe Marinelli

Television and film actor Joe Marinelli — who played Bunny Tagliatti on Santa Barbara from 1988-90 and Pauly on GL in 1993 — died on June 22 at the age of 68. According to his agent, he’d been battling throat and stomach cancer for the past several years. Marinelli’s most recent project was appearing as Donny on The Morning Show, opposite Mark Duplass and Jennifer Aniston, on Apple TV+.

Charles Bateman

Charles Bateman, the third actor to play patriarch C.C. Capwell on Santa Barbara, passed away in April 2024 at the age of 93. He also portrayed Maxwell Jarvis on DAYS from 1980-81, and starred in numerous Western films. Above, he is pictured with Judith McConnell, who played Sophia Capwell on SB.

Julian McMahon

After a private battle with cancer, Julian McMahon died on July 2. He was 56. He began his acting career in his native Australia, appearing as Kane Edmonds on The Power, The Passion, and as Ben Lucini on Home and Away. His break into American television came in 1993 when he was cast as Ian Rain on AW, a character he played for two years. Looking back on his first scene, opposite Judi Evans’s Paulina, McMahon told Digest in a 202o interview, “She was so kind to me I can’t even tell you, she was so supportive and so caring — and here I was this 22-year-old dude from Australia and the first scene I had to shoot was in a Speedo, getting out of the Cory pool and I was like, ‘Oh, all right, I guess this is what you do. You put on your undies, and you get out of the pool.’ ” Post-daytime, McMahon had starring roles on prime-time shows like Nip/Tuck and Charmed, and portrayed Doctor Doom in the Fantastic Four film franchise.

Eileen Fulton

Daytime icon Eileen Fulton — who famously played ATWT’s Lisa Miller Hughes Eldridge Shea Coleman McColl Mitchell Chedwyn Grimaldi  — was 91 when she died on July 14 in Asheville, NC, after a period of declining health. After co-starring in the 1960 film Girl of The Night, Fulton made her ATWT debut in May of that year. Aside from brief breaks over the years (where the character was temporarily recast), Fulton remained with the soap until its final episode in 2010. During her decades reigning over Oakdale, Fulton received a Daytime Emmy nomination in the Outstanding Supporting Actress category in 1988, and was the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2004 Daytime Emmys.