Marla Adams, The Young and the Restless star, dies aged 85

Marla Adams, best known for her role as Dina Abbott Mergeron spanning five decades on The Young and the Restless, has died at age 85.

The actress died on Thursday in Los Angeles, according to an announcement by Matt Kane, director of media and talent for The Young and the Restless, as per The Hollywood Reporter.

"On behalf of the entire company of The Young and the Restless, we send our deepest sympathies to Marla's family," Josh Griffith, executive producer and head writer of the show, said in a statement.

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"We're so grateful and in awe of Marla's incredible performance as Dina Mergeron as both Marla and Dina made an unforgettable mark on [the show]."

Adams began her soap career starring in The Secret Storm as Belle Clemens from 1968 until it ended in 1974. "I was the bitch of daytime," she commented in a 2016 interview about the role, "I played a good bitch."

Adams officially joined The Young and the Restless in 1982 but left after her three year contract was up. She returned for brief cameos in 1991, 1996 and 2008, before she was finally asked by producer Sally Sussman to return for good in 2017.

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"I remember when [Sussman told her], 'I'm going to bring you back on The Young and the Restless, but you've got Alzheimer's,' and I said, 'What!? You're bringing me back so you can kill me off?'" she said in a 2020 interview

"And she said, 'Oh no, it'll be about a year.' That dissolved into four years."

That was the year viewers bid farewell to the matriarch as she died in an October 2020 episode, surrounded by her on-screen kids Traci (played by Beth Maitland), Jack (played by Peter Bergman) and Ashley (played by Eileen Davidson), and being welcomed by her husband John Abbott (played by Jerry Douglas) to heaven.

Eight months later she received a Daytime Emmy Award for the role, having been nominated for one in 2018 for the same role.

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In the past, Adams made her big-screen debut alongside Warren Beatty and Natalie Wood in Splendor in the Grass, later appearing in projects like The Secret Storm, The New Dick Van Dyke Show, Harry O, Adam-12, Starsky and Hutch, Marcus Welby, M.D., Barnaby Jones, The Love Boat, Emergency! and Archie Bunker's Place.

She is no stranger to soaps, having spent almost 30 years appearing in General Hospital, Capitol, Generations, The Bold and the Beautiful, and Days of Our Lives - all before the turn of the century.

Fans have also paid tribute to the actress, with one writing on X, formerly Twitter, "I'm so glad you briefly returned and delivered an unforgettably powerful performance when Dina was diagnosed with Alzheimer's."

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"Rest in Peace to the legendary Emmy award winning actress Marla Adams," wrote another, "Best known for her portrayal of the polarising former Abbott matriarch, Dina, Adams always left audiences captivated with her honesty and beauty in performances."

Adams is survived by her children, Gunnar and Pam, grandchildren Gefjon and Stone, and great-grandson Remi.

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