Soap Opera Actress Andrea Evans Dies: 'One Life to Live' and 'Young and the Restless' Star Was 66

By Allison Schonter

Andrea Evans, the veteran daytime TV star best known for her role as the troubled teen Tina Lord on One Life to Live, has died. Evan's current manager, Nick Leicht, confirmed to USA Today that actress died Sunday at her home in Pasadena, California, following a battle with breast cancer. Leicht added in a statement, "She was such a tremendous talent and an absolute joy to work with." She was 66.

Born in Aurora, Illinois, Evans appeared in beauty pageants and regional theater before landing a role as an extra in Brian De Palma's 1978 horror classic The Fury, according to Deadline. That same year, she appeared in the miniseries The Awakening Land. She soon drew the attention of legendary soap casting director Mary Jo Slater, who cast her in the role of Tina Lord on ABC's One Life to Live. Evans quickly rose to fame and remained on the series until 1981, after which she went on to portray Patty Williams on The Young and the Restless from 1983 to 1984. She returned to One Life to Live in 1985 and was nominated for a Daytime Emmy in 1988. She abruptly left the show again in 1987 after an encounter with a stalker in the lobby of the show's Manhattan studio.

Evans eventually returned to acting, appearing in 1994's A Low Down Dirty Shame and 1995's Ice Cream Man. She went on to star in a number of popular soaps, including The Bold and the Beautiful, Passions, The Bay, and the web series DeVanity, and again returned to One Life To Live in 2008 and again in 2011, saying, "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." For her work as Vivian Price in the web series DeVanity, Evans earned another Daytime Emmy Nomination in 2015 for outstanding performer in a new approaches drama series.

Reacting to her passing, Frank Valentini, former executive producer of One Life to Live and current executive producer of General Hospital, shared on Twitter, "I am so sorry to learn of Andrea Evans' passing. Andrea was already a huge star when my career began at OLTL." Valentini said Evans "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." Evans' former One Life to Live co-star Kassie DePaiva said she was "so sadden to hear of this talented actress's passing. She helped put OLTL in the spotlight. Cancer sucks!" Her Passions co-star, Eric Martsolf remembered Evans as "wildly responsible" for showing the actor "that working in Daytime doesn't have to feel like work at all."

Evans is survived by her husband Stephen Rodriguez, whom she married in 1998, and their daughter Kylie, 19. She was previously married to her One Life to Live costar Wayne Massey from 1981 to 1983. In a statement shared with USA Today, Rodriguez said his wife "was a "remarkable individual, cherished by all who knew her."

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