‘The Young and Restless’ star Andrea Evans dies aged 66 – rest in peace
Andrea Evans, the actress most widely known for her role as Patty Williams in The Young and the Restless, has sadly died aged 66.
Evans’ manager Nick Leicht confirmed the devastating news to PEOPLE on Monday (July 10), telling the outlet: “I’ve been working with Andrea for the past 7 years. She was such a tremendous talent and an absolute joy to work with.”
Don Carroll, Evans’ former manager, also confirmed the news, revealing that she had passed on Sunday (July 9) after a long battle with cancer.
Evans has had a decorated career in acting, namely in beloved NBC and ABC soap operas, from the late 70s until 2018.
Born in Illinois in 1957, Evans was no stranger to the limelight, having appeared in numerous beauty pageants as a child. However, it was her role as troubled teenager Tina Lord in One Life to Live in 1978 that helped put her on the map as an actress – and she stayed in this role on and off until 2011.
In 1988, Evans was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for outstanding ingenue in a drama series for her role as Tina.
As well as starring on One Life to Live, Evans also played Patty Williams on The Young and the Restless from 1983 to 1984 and Rebecca Hotchkiss in Passions from 2000 to 2008.
On Mother’s Day in 2004, Evans and her second husband, Los Angeles attorney Stephen Rodriguez, adopted a baby girl whom they named Kylie.
Evans’ former manager told People that she was a loving and caring person, who treated those closest to her life family.
Carroll told PEOPLE that Evans kept a close circle of friends, treating those close to her as if they were family. “People often think she must be very like the characters she played on television. In reality, her greatest days were spent with no makeup, her hair in pigtails, and a ballcap on her head at Disneyland with her daughter Kylie,” he said.
Many of Evans’ co-stars and ex-colleagues wrote heartfelt tributes on social media for the star, including Frank Valentini, the former executive producer of One Life to Live and current executive producer of General Hospital, who wrote on Twitter: “I am so sorry to learn of Andrea Evans’ passing. Andrea was already a huge star when my career began at OLTL.”
He further added: “She was always kind, gracious, and so fun to work with. A daytime legend who will be missed very much. My sympathies to her friends and family.”
I am so sorry to learn of Andrea Evans’ passing. Andrea was already a huge star when my career began at OLTL. She was always kind, gracious, and so fun to work with. A daytime legend who will be missed very much. My sympathies to her friends and family. pic.twitter.com/Y6EbGc3t38
— Frank Valentini (@valentinifrank) July 10, 2023
Evans’ former Passions co-star Eric Martsolf described the late actress as “wildly responsible” for showing the actor “that working in Daytime doesn’t have to feel like work at all” in a Facebook post on Monday.
“We lost Andrea Evans,” the post began. “I will miss the sparkle in her eyes when she smiled, which was seemingly all the time. Rest in peace Andrea, and thank you for all you gave.”
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Andrea Evans’ family, friends, colleagues, and fans at this devastating time.
