In Loving Memory: The Beloved Soap Actors Who Have Passed Away In 2026

Soap opera fans have mourned the loss of many beloved actors in 2026. Soap Opera Digest takes a look back at the performers we’ve said goodbye to in this year from General Hospital, The Young and the Restless, Days of Our Lives and more soap operas.

Lynn Benesch

Erika Slezak (ex-Ronnie, General Hospital; ex-Viki, One Life to Live) shared a message on her official website in tribute to Lynn Benesch (who also went by Lynn Benish and Lynn Chester), who played Meredith Lord Wolek, Viki’s sister, from 1969-73. Born in Westchester, NY, Benesch passed away in 2023 at the age of 82 in Georgia. Before being cast on OLTL, she made her daytime debut playing Bonnie Evans on The Doctors in 1961, and reprised her role of Meredith in 1987 when Viki reunited with her sister in Heaven. After leaving soaps, Benesch went on to appear in movies like Planet of the Apes and on TV shows like Happy Days and Rhoda. In 1986, she briefly appeared on Young and Restless as Beverly Stark, the controlling mother of a pregnant teenage runaway, Molly, who became involved with Danny (Michael Damian) and Cricket (Lauralee Bell). Benesch was the mother of two daughters, Jennie and Annie, with her first spouse, the late Colby Chester, who was also an actor.

James Van Der Beek

James Van Der Beek was just 48 years old when he passed away on Feb. 11 in Austin, Texas, losing his valiant battle with colorectal cancer. Although he was well known for playing the titular role of Dawson Leery on the popular TV series Dawson’s Creek and for starring in the hit movie Varsity Blues, one of Van Der Beek’s very first acting roles was as Stephen Anderson on As The World Turns in 1995. The actor is survived by his wife, Kimberly, and their six children: Olivia, Annabel, Emilia, Gwendolyn, Joshua, and Jeremiah.

Jennifer Runyeon

Following a cancer diagnosis, Jennifer Runyeon passed away on March 6 at the age of 65. In addition to her daytime role as Sally Frame on Another World from 1981-82, the actress was known for her roles in Ghostbusters and Charles in Charge. She is survived by her husband, collegiate coach Todd Corman, and their two children.

Judy Pace

Judy Pace — a trailblazing model and actress known as Hollywood’s first “Black Barbie” and the mother of Y&R alum Julia Pace Mitchell (ex-Sofia) — was 83 when she passed away peacefully in her sleep on March 11 while visiting family in Marina del Rey, CA. Early in her career, Pace had a small role on DAYS in the 1960s before landing her breakout part as Vickie Fletcher on the prime-time soap Peyton Place. In addition to Julia, Pace is survived by another daughter, Shawn, a grandson, and a son-in-law.

Valerie Perrine

Actress Valerie Perrine, 82 — who ATWT fans will remember from her run as Jack and Brad’s mother, Delores Pierce, in the late 1990s — died on March 23 in Beverly Hills, CA. Earlier in her career, Perrine was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1985 for her performance in the Lenny Bruce biopic Lenny, and also had a memorable role as Eve Teschmacher in 1978’s Superman and its 1980 sequel, Superman II.

Dee Freeman

Dee Freeman, who appeared on Y&R in 1997 as a nurse and then again in 2009 as a judge, passed away at the age of 66 on April 2 from cancer.

Rif Hutton

Rif Hutton, who GH fans will remember from his 1995 appearance as Mary Mae’s son, David Ward, and his 2021 run as amnesiac Sonny’s (Maurice Benard) pal Lenny Caulfield in the Nixon Falls storyline, died at the age of 73 on April 18 following a long battle with gliobastoma, an aggressive brain cancer.

Patrick Muldoon

The DAYS family was stunned when Patrick Muldoon, who originated the role of Austin Reed, died of a heart attack on April 19. Muldoon, who was just 57 years old, launched his acting career in 1990 while an undergrad at the University of Southern California. After appearing in a handful of episodes of Who’s The Boss and Saved By The Bell, he landed the pivotal role of Kate’s son on the NBC soap in 1992.

“It was a big cattle call,” he recalled to Soap Opera Digest in 2015. “For me, it was simply another audition. I screen-tested with Tracy Middendorf, who was playing Carrie. The main thing I remember is that after we got done, I saw Fran [De Simone], who was our stage manager, mouthing to someone else, ‘No. 4.’ I was No. 4, so I felt really good about that.”

During his time in Salem, Muldoon’s Austin was front and center in a love triangle with Brady sisters Carrie (briefly Middendorf before Christie Clark took over the role) and Sami (Alison Sweeney). The actor left the soap in 1995 and went on to play the villainous Richard Hart on Melrose Place for two seasons, then appeared in the movie Starship Troopers in 1997. Although the character of Austin was recast with Austin Peck, Muldoon reprised the role in 2011 before exiting again in 2012. At the time of his death, Muldoon was working as a producer.

Jennifer Harmon

Soap vet Jennifer Harmon was 82 when she passed away in New York City on May 9. In addition to her prolific Broadway career, the actress had several daytime roles on her resumé. She made her daytime debut as alcoholic divorcée Chris on NBC’s How to Survive a Marriage in 1974, then went on to play OLTL’s Cathy Craig Lord, earning a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in 1978, the year she exited the soap. Harmon also appeared as Jean Weatherhill on Guiding Light, Judge Trullinger on AW, and, in her final soap opera appearance, Lucretia Jones on Loving in 1995.

Ellen Weston

Actress and songwriter Ellen Weston was 87 when she passed away on May 28 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Weston had a prolific career in television, film, Broadway, and music. She made her daytime debut playing Robin Fletcher on GL from 1963-64, then went on to play both Carol Pearson and nurse Karen Gregory on AW from 1964-65. Between 1978 and 1980, Weston made a handful of appearances on Y&R as Suzanne, the vengeful ex-wife of hairdresser Derek Thurston. After segueing to a career behind the camera as a writer, Weston served as a writer on Capitol in 1986 and took over head writer duties at GL in 2003.

Paul Avery

Actor Paul Avery, 81, and his wife, Sheila, were tragically killed in the early morning hours of June 16 when their Blairstown, NJ, home caught on fire. For 12 years, beginning in 1981, Avery recurred on All My Children as Hughie, a bartender at the dive bar Foxy’s. In addition to his daytime role, Avery appeared in episodes of Three’s Company and Soap, and in over 300 commercials, including voicing the yellow M&M. After retiring from acting, Avery pivoted to journalism, working for local papers in NJ as well as for The New York Times before becoming the founding editor of the Ridge View Echo. The Averys are survived by daughters Kyle and Parker, and son Paul, as well as other family members.

Tom Ligon

Soap vet Tom Ligon, best known to daytime fans for his run as Y&R’s Lucas Prentiss from 1978-1982, was 85 when he died in New York City on June 26. In addition to his time in Genoa City, the actor had roles on Loving, Santa Barbara, Another World, and AMC.

Randolph Mantooth

On July 9, Randolph Mantooth passed away in Los Angeles at the age of 80. The actor appeared on numerous soaps throughout his career, but his longest-running daytime role was Clay Alden (later revealed to be an impostor, Alex Masters) on Loving, from 1987-90 and 1993-95. He brought the character to Loving‘s spin-off, The City, through that show’s finale in 1997. Mantooth also appeared on GH from 1992-93 as Richard Halifax, filled in for Benjamin Hendrickson as ATWT’s Hal Munson between 2003 and 2005, and played Kirk Harmon on OLTL in 2007.

Lisa LoCicero (Olivia, GH), who was Mantooth’s love interest when she played Jocelyn on Loving and The City, told Digest in 2012, “I had a perpetual crush on Randy Mantooth. I had been crushing on him for the previous 20 years before we started working together, so it was just a continuation of a crush that began 20 years prior.”

Wai Ching Ho

In July, the family of actress Wai Ching Ho announced that she had died at the age of 82. While she was best known for her role as Madame Gao in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (appearing in Daredevil, Iron Fist, and The Defenders), the Chinese actress’s first U.S. acting credit was playing Viki’s nanny, Kim, on OLTL in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Scott Bryce

Following a courageous battle with esophageal cancer, Scott Bryce was 68 when he passed away on July 12. The son of actor Ed Bryce (who played GL’s Ed Bauer), the star made his daytime debut in 1982 when he was cast as ATWT’s Craig Montgomery, a role he played until 1991. Bryce reprised the role of Craig from 1993-94 and again from 2007-08, and in 2006, he briefly appeared on OLTL as psychiatrist Dr. Ed Crosby.

Bryce is survived by his wife, Jodi, and their son, Jackson.