Remembering the Daytime Soap Opera Stars We Lost in 2017

Reality TV

Dec 21, 2017 4:49 pm·

By Chris Eades

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The daytime soap opera community grew dimmer in 2017 as we lost many bright stars over the year. Like the beloved Peter Hansen, who played attorney Lee Baldwin on General Hospital for decades and Richard Hatch, who got his start as Philip Brent on All My Children. And over on CBS and NBC, we said farewell to Guiding Light’s Miriam Colón (Maria), [The Young and the Restless](https://www.cbs.com/shows/theyoungandtherestless/)' Jay Bontatibus (ex-Tony), and Days of Our Lives' Heather North (Sandy).

In the gallery below, we take a look at the performers who died in 2017. All of them will be deeply missed, but their legacy lives on in the memories of their families, friends, and fans. Scroll down to see.

1 of 9

Veteran actress Francine York, who appeared as Lorraine Farr Temple on DAYS as well as Thelma on GH, died on Jan. 6 at the age of 80.

2 of 9

Richard Hatch may have been best known as Captian Apollo on BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, but daytime fans remember him as Philip Brent on ALL MY CHILDREN where his romance with Karen Gorney’s Tara was a popular storyline. The actor passed away at the age of 71 on Feb. 7.

3 of 9

Daytime alum Jay Bontatibus passed away on Feb. 12 after a long battle with cancer. He got his start as Russell on ANOTHER WORLD, then played Tony Viscardi on Y&R. Later, he appeared as Detective Andy Capelli on GH and Rob McCullough on DAYS.

4 of 9

Star of stage and screen, Miriam Colón died on March 3 at the age of 80. She had small roles on THE EDGE OF NIGHT, AMC, and OLTL, but is best known to soap fans as Maria Santos on GUIDING LIGHT.

5 of 9

Peter Hansen appeared in numerous film and television shows, but is beloved to daytime viewers for his portrayal of Lee Baldwin on GH, a role he played for decades after making his debut in 1965. The veteran actor sadly passed away on April 9 at the age of 95.

6 of 9

Actor Mark LaMura died on Sept. 11 at the age of 68 following a battle with lung cancer. Although best known for playing Mark Dalton, the brother of Susan Lucci’s Erica Kane, on AMC, he also appeared on ATWT as Vic Robinson and OLTL as Douglas Klein.

7 of 9

Actress Anne Jeffreys was perhaps best known for playing Tess Trueheart in the Dick Tracy series and starring in the CBS sitcom TOPPER, but soap fans remember her fondly as Amanda Barrington on GH and its spinoff, PORT CHARLES. The Hollywood legend died on Sept. 27 at the age of 94.

8 of 9

Award-winning actor Warren Burton sadly died on Oct. 2 at the age of 72. He made his daytime debut as Eddie Dorrance on AMC, which earned him a Daytime Emmy Award. Later, he played Jason Dunlap on ANOTHER WORLD, Warren Andrews on GL, and Phillip Hamilton and Jack on SANTA BARBARA.

9 of 9

Heather North may have been best known for voicing Daphne Blake in countless Scooby-Doo cartoons, but before that she was a daytime ingenue as Sandy Horton on DAYS. The actress passed away on Nov. 30 at the age of 71.

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