Jeanne Cooper of 'The Young and the Restless' Dies at 84

The Katherine Chancellor depicter passed away
while being treated for an undisclosed illness
at a Los Angeles hospital.
" The Young and
the Restless"
actress Jeanne
Cooper passed
away at a Los
Angeles hospital
Wednesday,
May 8. Her
actor son
Corbin Bernsen
confirmed her
death on
Facebook, "My
mother passed
away this
morning just a
short time ago,
peaceful with my sister by her side, in her
sleep."
"I was going to visit this afternoon, thought I
had time. Reminder to self - time is a precious
thing. I too am at peace however. I said my
goodbyes several times over during the last few
weeks," he continued solemnly. "I'll go one last
time now for a gentle kiss a final farewell for
this lifetime."
"She has been a blaze her entire life, that
beacon, that boxer I spoke of earlier. She went
the full twelve rounds and by unanimous
decision... won! And while her light finally gave
into the wind that gives flight to all our
journeys, there will always be a glimmer left
behind by what she stood for."
He concluded, "I will speak about that more in
coming days, months I suppose. I will certainly
dedicate what remains of my life to continue
her purpose of honesty, equality, humility,
empathy and love."
Cooper had been in and out of hospital
recently for an unspecified illness. She was 84.
Besides son Corbin and daughter Caren, she's
survived by another son, Collin, who's also an
actor and eight grandchildren. She was only
married once to producer Harry Bernsen, and
it ended in divorce.
Over the past weekend, Corbin already alerted
fans that his mother was in the "final stages"
of her life. "Please know that I'm not saying
my mother's life has ended, it hasn't, but no
matter how you slice it, she is in the final
stages, whether it lasts an hour, day, month or
years," he said back then.
"I have prayed for her recovery -- some sort
of recovery -- and earlier this week got a hint
of it. But then I saw her tonight, connected
once again to so many tubes and machines
'healing her.' And there is a difference -- yes
they are keeping her alive just as antibiotics
would do for an infection -- but they are more
or less there to help in her short term
recovery."
In an earlier post, he pleaded with fans to pray
for the ailing actress, "Please let her know in
your prayers that if she wants to let go, she
does so with an abundance of love giving her
the wings to soar. And if she wants to remain,
she does with an abundance of love giving her
the support she needs to accomplish what she
feels needs to be finished here, on this earth."
It's unclear how Cooper's passing will be
addressed on CBS' series "The Young and the
Restless". Her storyline recently involved her
character, Katherine Chancellor, surviving a
surgery for a brain tumor.
"Jeanne Cooper will be remembered as a
daytime television legend and as a friend who
will truly be missed by all of us here at the
Network," said Nina Tassler, President, CBS
Entertainment, in a statement. "She was the
longest-running cast member on daytime's No.
1 show, bringing indelible charm, class and
talent to every episode."
"On behalf of everyone at CBS, we send our
condolences to Jeanne's family, as well as the
legions of fans she has amassed during her
record 39 years on The Young and The Restless,
and throughout her career."
During her years-long career, Cooper had
received numerous Emmy nominations. She
won two, one for a Lifetime Achievement
Award in 2004, and another for a Daytime
Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama
Series in 2008. She was inducted into
Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1993.