{"id":2358611,"date":"2026-04-04T18:34:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T18:34:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2358611"},"modified":"2026-04-04T18:34:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T18:34:08","slug":"soap-star-battled-stage-4-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/soap-star-battled-stage-4-cancer\/","title":{"rendered":"Soap Star Battled Stage 4 Cancer"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Young and the Restless <\/i>alum Dolores \u201cDee\u201d Freeman <\/b>has died<\/a>. She was 66.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn 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,\u201d the actress\u2019 family wrote in a Friday, April 3, statement via her Instagram<\/span><\/a>. \u201cThank you to everyone who supported Dee during her battle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her family continued, \u201cIt 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.\u00a0 Now she\u2019s doing it with her angel wings on. Rest in peace, Dee.\u201d<\/p>\n

A cause of death has not been publicly shared, though Freeman battled stage IV lung cancer<\/a> in the years prior to her death.<\/p>\n

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\n Related: <\/span>Celebrity Deaths of 2026: Blue Bloods\u2019 Alex Duong and More<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tHollywood mourned the deaths of some of its most legendary stars in 2026. The year started off with Broadway performer and influencer Bret Hanna-Shuford\u2019s death at age 46. At the end of the month, comedy acting icon Catherine O\u2019Hara died at age 71. Thank You! You have successfully subscribed. Subscribe to newsletters Enter your email [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cDee wasn\u2019t just my client \u2014 she was someone I truly respected and admired,\u201d Freeman\u2019s longtime publicist, Desirae L. Benson<\/b>, said in a statement<\/span><\/a>. \u201cShe carried herself with a level of grace, strength and authenticity that is rare. Even in the face of stage IV lung cancer, she showed up with courage and dignity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Benson concluded, \u201cDee had a quiet power that commanded respect without ever needing to demand it. Her legacy is not just in her work, but in how she made people feel \u2014 and that will stay with us forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Freeman, who is survived by her two children, detailed her cancer battle nearly two months before her death.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy sisters and I and a close friend went to Scotland, Ireland, London and Wales in August. We went to the Blarney Stone and you have to get down, scoot backwards to kiss the Blarney Stone behind you,\u201d Freeman recalled during a February interview on the \u201cMusic and Medicine\u201d<\/span><\/a> YouTube channel. \u201cI began to feel a pain in my shoulder, and I thought, \u2018Well, you over-did it. You twisted it wrong.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

While Freeman initially believes that the pain would subside, it actually persisted for weeks. Upon her return home to California, Freeman visited a doctor who took an X-ray of her shoulder. The test ultimately revealed there were masses in her left and right lungs.<\/p>\n

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