Young And the Restless star Marla Adams, who starred on the soap for nearly 40 years, has died at age 85.
Over the course of 235 episodes, Marla became beloved by fans of the series as the conniving high society matron, Dina Abbott Mergeron.
After a long absence, she returned to the series in 2017 for a multi-year arc that saw her character decline in heartbreaking fashion with Alzheimer’s disease.
Her character was ultimately killed off in 2021, and that year Marla won a Daytime Emmy Award for her performance as Dina.
Matt Kane, director of media and talent for The Young And The Restless, told The Hollywood Reporter that Marla died Thursday in Los Angeles.
Young And the Restless star Marla Adams, who appeared on the soap opera for nearly 40 years, has died at 85; photographed at the 2018 Daytime Emmys
Over the course of 235 episodes, Marla became beloved by fans of the series as the conniving high society matron, Dina Abbott Mergeron (pictured).
Marla was born and raised in New Jersey and studied at the Academy Of Dramatic Arts in New York before embarking on a career on Broadway.
When she was only 19 years old, she found herself facing two legends of the American scene, Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne.
The Lunts, who became theater kings performing together in various plays, were giving their last joint performance in The Visit – with Marla in a supporting role.
Three years later, she was starring with Hollywood’s big names, appearing in Elia Kazan’s film Splendor In The Grass with Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty.
