The Young and the Restless Star Marla Adams Dead at 85

Adams played Dina Abbott Mergeron on the soap opera

Adams died on Thursday, April 25, in Los Angeles, PEOPLE confirms. A cause of death has not been announced.

In a statement shared with PEOPLE, Josh Griffith, the executive producer and head writer for The Young and the Restless, remembered Adams as someone who left an “unforgettable mark” on the soap opera.

On behalf of the entire company of The Young and the Restless, we send our deepest sympathies to Marla’s family. 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 Y&R,” his statement read.

Long before joining the cast of The Young and the Restless in 1982 as the Abbott family matriarch, Adams began competing in pageants.

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The Young and the Restless Star Marla Adams Dead at 85
Adams played Dina Abbott Mergeron on the soap opera

By Ingrid Vasquez Published on April 26, 2024 10:08PM EDT
Marla Adams
Marla Adams at the 2018 Daytime Emmy Awards. PHOTO: DAVID CROTTY/PATRICK MCMULLAN VIA GETTY
Marla Adams, known for her role as Dina Abbott Mergeron on The Young and the Restless is dead. She was 85.

Adams died on Thursday, April 25, in Los Angeles, PEOPLE confirms. A cause of death has not been announced.

In a statement shared with PEOPLE, Josh Griffith, the executive producer and head writer for The Young and the Restless, remembered Adams as someone who left an “unforgettable mark” on the soap opera.

Marla Adams
Marla Adams in “The Young and the Restless”. CBS VIA GETTY
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“On behalf of the entire company of The Young and the Restless, we send our deepest sympathies to Marla’s family. 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 Y&R,” his statement read.

Long before joining the cast of The Young and the Restless in 1982 as the Abbott family matriarch, Adams began competing in pageants.

Born on Aug. 28, 1938, in Ocean City, New Jersey, Adams achieved many titles, including Miss Ocean City and Miss Cape May.

Marla Adams
Marla Adams at the CBS Daytime Emmy After Party in April 2017. EARL GIBSON III/WIREIMAGE
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Apart from finishing as a runner-up in the Miss New Jersey pageant, she was also honored as the Miss Diamond Jubilee Queen during the 1954 celebration of the 75th anniversary of Ocean City’s founding.

Adams began venturing into acting as a student at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Some of her early roles included appearing on Broadway in the 1958 production of The Visit and starring as June in the 1961 feature film Splendor in the Grass.

She starred as Belle Clemens on The Secret Storm from 1968 to 1974 and appeared in more than 40 television and film productions, including The Golden Girls, Hart to Hart, The Love Boat, The Bold and the Beautiful, Days of Our Lives, Generations, and Capitol