The actress won a Daytime Emmy for her role on the soap opera.
The Young and the Restless' Marla Adams has died. She was 85.
According to a statement from Matt Kane, the publicist for the long-running soap opera, the award-winning actress passed away on Thursday in Los Angeles. The Hollywood Reporter was first to report the news.
"We send our deepest sympathies to Marla Adams' family," the Young and the Restless account tweeted Friday. "We’re so grateful and in awe of Marla's incredible performance as Dina Abbott Mergeron as both Marla and Dina made an unforgettable mark on Y&R."
Adams is best known for her portrayal of Dina Abbott Mergeron on the series over the course of nearly four decades, a role which won her a Daytime Emmy Award in 2021. She first joined the series in 1982 and returned over the years for guest spots and appearances -- including a recurring storyline focused on her character's Alzheimer's diagnosis.
"Of all the characters I've played, from The Secret Storm to Broadway, this has been the most astonishing, amazing part I have ever had the privilege to play," she said back in 2020.
In a tweet, the Alzheimer's Association offered their condolences to the actress' family, thanking her for raising awareness to the condition and furthering discussions surrounding the condition.
"We are so grateful to Marla for raising Alzheimer's awareness onscreen through her role on The Young and the Restless and offscreen as an #ENDALZ Celebrity Champion," the organization wrote.
Prior to her role on the CBS series, the actress made her on-screen debut in Elia Kazan's Splendor in the Grass alongside Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty. She then went on to star in The Secret Storm as Belle Clemens, the devious and lovable villainess.
"I was the b**ch of daytime," she once told the OCNJ Daily of her role in The Secret Storm. "I played a good b**ch."
A prolific television actress, Adams also made appearances in shows like Happy Days, Who's the Boss, Matlock, The Golden Girls, and more.
Adams' death comes just two weeks after the death of Meg Bennett, a fellow Young and the Restless alum, who died on April 11 at the age of 75. According to her family, Bennett died after a battle with cancer.
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