Dee Freeman, 'Young & Restless' Actress, Dies at 66

Dee Freeman a veteran actress who had been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer, has died at 66.

Her passing was confirmed on her Instagram page in a statement that read, "On behalf of her family, it is with deepest sadness that we share this update with you. Dee passed away peacefully on April 2, 2026 after a brave and fearless fight with cancer. Thank you to everyone who supported Dee during her battle. It blew her away to know how many people cared about her and were pulling for her. We know Dee is up there in heaven being the force of nature she always was. Now she's doing it with her angel wings on. Rest in peace, Dee."

Freeman, who was born in Louisiana, served as a Marine ahead of her 1995 acting debut on an episode of TV's "Coach."

She made many episodic-TV appearances, including on "Party of Five" (1996), "3rd Rock from the Sun" (1996), "Suddenly Susan" (1997), "Seinfeld" (1998), "Caroline in the City" (1998), "The Shield" (2002), "ER" (2002), "Cold Case" (2003), "Dexter" (2008), and an episode of "Sistas" from just this year.

She appeared on "The Young and the Restless" in 1997 and 2009, recurred on "The Hughleys" (1999-2001) as Sonya and on "Do Us Part" as Tricia, and played Ribina Champagne on "Pretty: The Series" (2010-2015).

Known for her one-woman show "Poison Gun," she also had extensive theater experience.