We soap fans love our performers because they come into our homes as our favorite characters for years. In short, fan favorites become members of our own families. When a member of our family passes away, we feel it deeply. Last week I reprinted a memorial column for Beverlee McKinsey (Iris, “Another World” and “Texas,” Alexandra, “Guiding … [Read more...]
Remembering Beverlee McKinsey, Still Singularly Magnificent
May 3, 2026 by 16 Comments
Browsing through my archive late last week, I ran across this piece of soap history that stopped me in my tracks: May 2 was the 18th anniversary of the passing of one of soap opera’s finest actresses, Beverlee McKinsey. This brought back a flood of memories and a few tears. Veteran soap fans will remember her riveting portrayals of two scheming, … [Read more...]
Joyce Becker Sugarman: The Passing of a Beloved Soap World Innovator
April 19, 2026 by 8 Comments
Thursday came word that Joyce Becker, an early soap journalist and event impresario, passed away from a stroke at 84. She and her husband Allan Sugarman founded and organized the hugely popular Soap Opera Festivals, a series of mall shows built around soap star appearances. The charismatic Joyce was loved by her journalism colleagues, and the many … [Read more...]
Tristan Rogers, 1946 – 2025
August 18, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Tristan Rogers, a star of “General Hospital” for 45 years, passed away Aug. 15 at 79. A spokesman said he suffered from lung cancer. What a loss. He was so beloved in our soap world. Rogers, who was from Australia, played charming and jovial superspy Robert Scorpio, the best friend of Anthony Geary’s Luke. According to what is now soap opera … [Read more...]
A Death in the Family
December 22, 2023 by 11 Comments
Marlena grew up as a spoiled, and very lonely, child. My parents both worked full-time. Like many other “latch key kids,” I eased my childhood loneliness by watching daytime soap operas. Soap characters became my childhood “friends”—and my involvement with them led to a 40-year career covering soaps. My loneliness was cured decades later when I … [Read more...]
The Soap Opera World Mourns Recent Losses
September 25, 2023 by 1 Comment
Soap Opera Mourns Recent Losses: It has been a heartbreaking time for those of us who love daytime TV. Five of our beloved actors and three top-rated soap journalists have left us in recent months. We Soap Opera Weekly alumni have lost our beloved managing editor Robert Shorke, 51, and features editor Katie “Caelie” Haines, 54. … [Read more...]
The Night Susan Lucci Won the Best Actress Emmy on Her 19th Nomination, plus Jacklyn Zeman: In Memorium
May 13, 2023 by 2 Comments
I’ve had the privilege of interviewing three of the most beautiful entertainers in the world: Kim Kardashian, Elizabeth Taylor (by phone) and Susan Lucci (Erica Kane, All My Children), the latter many, many times. Who could ever forget May 21, 1999, the night at Madison Square Garden when Susan won the Best Actress Emmy on her 19th nomination? … [Read more...]
In Memorium: David Johnson, Distinguished and Beloved Soap Journalist
November 1, 2022 by 2 Comments
As I write this, my heart is breaking. David Johnson, my closest colleague and ally in the soap opera journalism business for 40 years, passed away Saturday, Oct. 29, in Los Angeles, following a long battle with cancer. He was 87. David was born in Manhattan in 1935, the child of a single mother, his father having returned to England. At an … [Read more...]
