A beloved American actress and soap star has passed away at the age of 66.
Andrea Evans was a two-time Daytime Emmy nominee who appeared in the likes of NBC’s Passions And CBS’s The Young and the Restless. Most recently, she also played Parry Walker in the beloved Amazon Prime series The Bay.
She was perhaps best known for appearing as the ‘Diva of Dirt’ Tina Lord in ABC’s One Life to Live. Evans took on the role from 1979 to 1981 before reprising the role for five more years in 1985.
In 1990, Evans suddenly quit her role and took a break from her acting career after her life was threatened by a stalker.
It was now confirmed that the soap icon passed away at her Pasadena home at the age of 66 following a battle with breast cancer.
“I’ve been working with Andrea for the past seven years. She was such a tremendous talent and an absolute joy to work with,” Nick Leicht, Evans’ manager, told The New York Post.
Evans previously opened up about the circumstances leading to the premature decline of her career saying she was left “forever changed” after her stalker, who was locked up in a psychiatric hospital, began sending her death threats written in blood.
“All of a sudden, I went from a happy-go-lucky life to having regular conversations with the police. This was before people were that aware. There was a great disbelief that here this man was trying to harm me, and the police could do nothing about it,” she previously told AP.
Despite stepping down from acting in fear for her life, Evans eventually returned to One Life to Live for one episode in 2008 and again later in 2011.
“It’s time to give the audience what they want. And it’s time for me to get closure on why I left in the first place,” she said.
“For many years, both fans of mine and One Life to Live have wanted me to return. Now that the timing is right, I’m thrilled to be returning to the role of Tina, which I’ve always held near and dear to my heart.”
Our thoughts are with Andrea’s loved ones during this challenging time.