Beloved Days of Our Lives star Peggy McCay died last October but because of the soap’s production schedule, the show wasn’t able to write Caroline’s passing into the story until this week. Now, Mary Beth Evans (Kayla) recalls the marvelous woman who played her mom for so many years.
“In my eyes,” Evans tells Soap Hub, “Peggy was one of the true matriarchs of DAYS. She was such a rock solid person both in real life and on the show. All the feistiness and New York grit you saw her have as Caroline came from her life.”
Evans is glad that DAYS has written McCay’s passing into the show as it gives both the characters in Salem and DAYS fans the opportunity to honor the beloved character and actress.
“I learned so much from her,” Evans recalls. “She was such a good actress and had such good training and had done all kinds of different things. I joked that she was the ‘Queen Of The Business,” noting that McCay was always making sure Caroline had props to use in a scene to add authenticity to her character.
Off-camera, McCay entertained fans and her friends on the show with her “Caroline Brady Rap” song about living life in Salem. “She was so spunky,” Evans says. “And I adored her.”
Admiration for McCay grew when, in her later years, the show’s writers gave the actress a storyline in which Caroline suffered from a form of dementia. The material was challenging, but when the red camera light came on, Evans says, McCay stepped up and delivered!
“She’d do these huge monologues at Thanksgiving or the speech she gave at Sonny and Will’s wedding.”
Even though McCay stopped appearing on the show in recent years, Evans says that she’d still check in with the producers, offering story ideas. “Stephen [Nichols, Steve] and I went to see her a few times and she’d want Stephen to play his harmonica. We felt like she was our ‘Momma.’ She nurtured us.”
At McCay’s real-life memorial …continue reading on the next page —>
Share this: