Lee Lawson, ‘Guiding Light’ Star, Dead at 80

Lee Lawson, who starred in the CBS soap opera Guiding Light, died on May 22. She was 80. Her daughter, Leslie Bova, announced the sad news on Facebook. Lawson died after a battle with cancer and COVID-19.

“My mother died. May 22, 2022,” Bova wrote. “Thank you for having Chris, Me & Gaby so that we could have Gianna, Wilder & Sterling. We love you. You fought Cancer & COVID-19 like a champ. Rest, you brilliant, woman. Thank you, mom. R.I.P.”

Lawson’s best-known role was Bea Reardon on Guiding Light. She starred in over 50 episodes between 1981 and 1990. In her last episode, Bea sent a message to her daughter, Chelsea (Kassie DePaiva), on Chelsea’s wedding day, notes PEOPLE. Guiding Light is one of the longest-running programs in Hollywood history, running 72 years. It started as a radio drama in 1937 and ended on television in September 2009, after 57 years on CBS. The only soap opera with a longer run is General Hosptial, which started on ABC in 1963 and is still running.

Lawson was born on Oct. 14, 1941, in New York City. She made her television debut in 1965 as Barbara Sterling on Love of Life, a CBS soap opera that aired from 1951 to 1980. Lawson also appeared in episodes of Maude, Kojak, One Life to Live, Equal Justice, and Reasonable Doubts.

“My down-to-earth, sassy smart, and beautiful friend LEE LAWSON is telling it like it is in a better place,” actress Marian Hailey-Moss wrote in a Facebook post on Monday. “A fine actress and a super generous friend. I’ll meetcha there LEE!!”

Although Lawson was better known nationally for her role in Guiding Light, she also starred in several Broadway plays. Her stage credits include productions of Cactus Flower (1965); Agatha Sue, I Love You (1966); Daughter, Your Son (1969); The Plough and the Stars (1973); An American Millionaire (1974); and Teibele and Her Demon (1979).

Lawson and Joseph Bova were married from 1970 until his death in 2006. She is survived by her children Leslie, Chris, and Gaby, and grandchildren Gianna, Wilder, and Sterling.

Guiding Light fans have mourned several beloved stars in recent weeks. Earlier this month, Jerry verDorn, who played Ross on the series and Clint Buchanan on One Life to Live, died after a battle with cancer at age 72. Lisa Brown, who starred in the final seasons of Guiding Light, died in November at 67 following a brief illness.