Fans Are Still Crying: The Untold Heartbreaking Stories Behind the Soap Legends We Lost This Year

Following a long illness, the General Hospital mainstay passed away at age 79 on January 12. Needless to say, we will never forget her exploits as Monica Quartermaine, whose idea of playing doctor didn’t always require a stethoscope. (Review highlights of the actress’ long stay in Port Charles.)

Five days short of his 79th birthday, Twin Peaks’ co-creator, who was said to have started smoking at age 8 and suffered from emphysema, died at the home of his daughter Jennifer, who directed Sherilyn Fenn from Dad’s primetime supernova in Boxing Helena.

On January 16, the actor died by suicide at just 39 years old, Forbes reported. San Martin originated the role of Dario Hernandez on Days of Our Lives and appeared on Bold & Beautiful as Mateo, the masseur Sheila Carter hired to seduce Quinn Forrester away from then-husband Eric.

Serpico actor Tony Roberts passed away on February 7, 2025. With many credits to his name, he had a few daytime ones as well, including The Edge of Night (Lee) and All My Children (Dr. Rosenstein). He also appeared as Max Kellerman in ABC’s 2017 remake of Dirty Dancing.

The veteran actor, who recurred throughout Passions‘ run as Father Lonigan — who despite being blind could always see trouble coming! — died on February 7 at age 79, our sister site The Hollywood Reporter learned from his wife Eileen Barnett, who was Brooke Hamilton on Days of Our Lives.

The primetime actor passed away on February 10, 2025, as shared by his family via Facebook. He appeared on numerous series such as Magnum P.I., New Girl, Black-ish and NCIS, to name a few, and did a seven-episode stint on The Young and the Restless as Koa in 2011.

His character worked at a general store in Hawaii and was a contact of Victor’s during the investigation into the death of Adam’s wife Skye.

Valentine’s Day served up broken hearts to the actress’ loved ones, as she passed away at age 95. “We lost a radiant soul and a daytime legend yesterday,” General Hospital star Chris L. McKenna (Brennan) shared on Instagram. “Unforgettable woman. Her final words were ‘It’s nice to have an audience.’

” Hirson played Stephanie Martin on The Edge of Night, Marsha Davis on Another World (and spinoff Somerset), Eileen Siegel on One Life to Live (opposite Tom Berenger, above) and Mrs. Van Gelder on General Hospital. But she may be best known as Miss Ellie’s pal Mavis Anderson on Dallas.

Singer Roberta Flack passed away on February 24 at the age of 88. Known for such hits as “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” and “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” she also sang “Tonight I Celebrate My Love,” the theme song for Days of Our Lives’ Bo and Hope.

In February, the sad news broke that the All My Children grad, who played Jackson Montgomery’s adopted daughter Lily in the mid-1990s, had died at just 39 years old. Trachtenberg is even better known for her roles on Gossip Girl and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Months after the actor-writer’s death from mesothelioma on August 27, 2024, his wife shared that he had, in fact, passed away. Houghton was Greg Foster on The Young and the Restless, Kenny Ward on Knots Landing and Cash Cassidy on Dynasty II: The Colbys. He also won four Emmys as one of Young & Restless’ scribes.

The first female daytime-TV producer, Behr died on March 2 at age 82. Not only did she help launch All My Children in 1970, she became the show’s EP 19 years later. Behr was also in charge of Ryan’s Hope when it was cancelled and held the top job at As the World Turns from 1996-99. Later, she became senior vice-president of ABC Daytime, back when it still had four soaps on the air.

The Young & Restless alum who originated the role of conniving Mari Jo Mason died by suicide in early March. The actress, just 62 when she passed, also starred for years on Baywatch and was married to that series star, fellow Young & Restless grad David Hasselhoff.

In March, Days of Our Lives’ Susan Seaforth Hayes announced the passing of Emmy Award winning film and television composer Martin Davich. He not contributed work to the Salem soap but to General Hospital as well.

If you watched soaps in the early 2000s, you knew this handsome actor, who passed away on March 11 at age 65. After playing doctor with Reva Shayne on Guiding Light as Noah Chase, Dobies joined One Life to Live as Daniel Colson, a D.A. who turned murderous to keep his affair a secret from wife Nora Buchanan.

Wings Hauser, father of Yellowstone’s Cole Hauser (Rip), passed away at 78 on March 15, 2025. With over 115 credits to his name, longtime The Young and the Restless fans will remember him for playing Greg Foster on and off from 1977 to 2010. He also played J. Jay Jones on primetime soap Beverly Hills, 90210 and had one of his last appearances as Jack Flanagan on Castle.

Wink Martindale, the iconic game show host for Tic-Tac-Dough, Gambit and High Rollers, passed away on April 15 at the age of 91. Daytime viewers may recall him from his guest appearance on The Bold and the Beautiful as Reverend Brown, the officiant at Bill and Brooke’s wedding in 2016.

From the late 1980s into the early ’90s, the scene stealer helped keep Dallas spinoff Knots Landing on the map as Karen Fairgate’s vixenish daughter-in-law, Linda. The actress, also famed for her appearance in Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood, died at just 63 years old on April 22.

Funny lady Ruth Buzzi passed away on May 1, 2025. Daytime fans may remember her from playing Nurse Kravitz on Passions, as well as Letitia Bradford on Days of Our Lives.

From Port Charles to Bay City, tears flowed freely when the news broke that the soap legend had died at age 85. Alexander had played Julie’s frenemy Susan Hunter on Days of Our Lives, sent shockwaves through the industry by joining General Hospital as Lesley Williams and flipped the script again by moving to Another World as Mary McKinnon.

After beginning her career playing Ashley Bennett on The Doctors in the late 1970s, the future Emmy winner went on to star in the soap spoof The Powers That Be, Devious Maids, Desperate Housewives and countless other primetime series. She died of cancer on May 30 at age 71.

Lorna Raver passed away on May 12, 2025 at 81. The actress, best known for her starring role in the 2009 horror movie Drag Me to Hell, will be remembered by longtime The Young and the Restless fans for playing Brad Carlton’s mother Rebecca Kaplan.

Pamela Peters Solow passed away on June 4, 2025, as first reported by her friend Todd Hirsch. The actress will be remembered by longtime Young & Restless fans for playing woebegone Peggy Brooks.

Beloved soap actor Chris Robinson passed away on June 9, 2025, at the age of 86. He’ll always be remembered for playing Dr. Rick Webber on General Hospital, Jack Hamilton on Bold & Beautiful and Jason Frame on Another World.

On June 19, Betts took his final bow at age 96. Over the course of his career, he did just about every soap under the sun — The Doctors, General Hospital, The Edge of Night, All My Children, Another World (above)… The list goes on. But he’s probably best known for his memorable turn as mad doctor Ivan Kipling on One Life to Live in the 1980s.

The veteran actress, who’d appeared regularly on Sanford & Son, The Waltons and 227, passed away on June 19 of natural causes. For the duration of Generations’ too-short 1989-91 run, she played Vivian Potter. (That’s Hamilton in the second row on the left.) She also played Mae on Young & Restless, Rita on Days of Our Lives and Selita on Sunset Beach.

Joe Marinelli passed away at the age of 68, as first announced by his Santa Barbara castmate Leigh J. McCloskey (Ethan). The actor played Bunny Tagliatti on the NBC soap, as well as Pauly on Guiding Light and Joseph Sorel on General Hospital.

Following a private battle with cancer, the Australian-born actor who played Ian Rain on Another World in the early ’90s died at age 56 on July 2. The heartthrob also starred on primetime’s Nip/Tuck and was Doctor Doom in two Fantastic Four movies.

The As the World Turns legend, who played Lisa of the ever-changing last name for five decades, died on July 14 following a period of declining health, her family disclosed. Read our tribute to Fulton.

The General Hospital legend, who’d played Robert Scorpio off and on since the soap’s Golden Age, died August 15 at age 79. Though Rogers had never been a smoker, he was felled by lung cancer. In addition to General Hospital, the Australian-born actor passed through Bold & Beautiful and was Cane Ashby’s conniving father, Colin Atkinson, on Young & Restless.

Jerry Alder passed away at 96 on August 23, 2025. The actor, known for his role on The Sopranos, played Nora’s father, Len Hanen, on One Life to Live in 1995. He also served as a stage manager for Search for Tomorrow (1983 to 1985) and Santa Barbara (1986 to 1992).

Bobby Hart, who wrote for the popular band The Monkees, passed away on September 10, 2025. The iconic song writer also served as a composer on Days of Our Lives from 1965 to August 2025. Of his passing, the Peacock soap shared on their official Instagram, “We are saddened by the passing of Bobby Hart, the last of the legendary songwriters who co-wrote the iconic Days of our Lives theme music. He was predeceased by Charles Albertine (1986) and Tommy Boyce (1994). Their legacy will live on for us and for our fans with each and every episode.” He was 86.

Pat Crowley, who had more than 130 credits to her name and was known for Please Don’t Eat the Daisies, passed away at 91 on September 15, 2025. Fans may remember her for the many roles she contributed to daytime on such soaps as Generations as Rebecca Whitmore, General Hospital and Port Charles as Mary Scanlon and Bold & Beautiful as Natalie DeWitt.

Legendary soap writer and actress Margaret DePriest passed away at 94 on September 29, 2025.

She was a headwriter on General Hospital during Luke and Laura’s wedding and her work on Days of Our Lives brought the Brady family to Salem, as well as introduced the Salem Strangler. DePriest also wrote for All My Children, One Life to Live, Another World, Sunset Beach and a few of the 1970’s soaps.

In late September, the news broke that the Dutch actor had died at age 81. In the 1980s, he played Tony, the first of the Cassadines to show up on General Hospital. (He was later joined by Thaao Penghlis as Victor and John Colicos as Mikkos.)

The Hollywood Reporter learned that longtime director for The Young and the Restless, passed away on October 10, 2025 at the age of 85. Having spent 15 years with the CBS soap, Hill also worked on Search for Tomorrow, As the World Turns and Love of Life.

Samantha Eggar passed away on October 15, 2025, at the age of 86. Daytime fans may recall that she played Charlotte Devane on All My Children in 2000. The character was the aunt of General Hospital’s Anna Devane.

The veteran actress, a legend owing to her long career and memorable star turns in Lassie and Lost in Space, died of natural causes at age 100 on October 23. From the mid-1980s to ’90s, she recurred on General Hospital as Felicia’s grandmother, Mariah.

Betty Harford passed away on November 2, 2025 at the age of 98. Daytime fans may recall her from playing Mrs. Gunnerson on the primetime soapy hit Dynasty.

Elizabeth Franz passed away at 84 on November 4, 2025. The Tony Award-winning stage actress who, appeared in film and primetime roles such as Christmas With the Kranks, Gilmore Girls and Grey’s Anatomy, played the villainous Alma Rudder on Another World in the early 1980s and later turned up on As the World Turns as Helen Wendall.

Award-winning star Sally Kirkland passed away at 84 on November 11, 2025. The Hollywood icon will always be remembered for her over 270 credits, including the lead in the 1987 film Anna, and appeared on Days of Our Lives as Tracey Simpson in 1999 in scenes with such characters as Sami and Austin.

Broadway star Jonathan Farwell passed away on November 22, 2025. Fans may recall him from his many daytime roles on such soaps as The Doctors (Dr. Von Colt), The Edge of Night (Dr. Barnes), All My Children (Judge Martel) and The Young and the Restless, where he played George Rawlins, the husband of conniving Cassandra.

On December 14, the eight-time Emmy winner died at age 78 of complications from a scheduled surgery that he’d undergone several days prior. For nearly 40 years, he’d galvanized General Hospital fans as Luke Spencer. “It was a shock,” Geary’s spouse Claudio Gama told TV Insider. “For more than 30 years, Tony has been my friend, my companion, my husband.”

On December 16, the veteran actor died at age 82 of a rare and aggressive form of cancer, his widow disclosed. Before making it big in Buck Rogers In the 25th Century, Gerard spent three years playing Alan Stewart on daytime’s The Doctors.