Days Of Our Lives Star Mary Beth Evans Previews Caroline’s Emotional Memorial

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 —>

Continue reading on the next page…

At McCay’s real-life memorial Evans spoke. “I was so sad that she was gone, but I wasn’t sad that she had led a fabulous life. She worked about three years before [she passed away]. She was cared for and stayed at her house. She had good people around her.”

When Caroline dies this week, it will be the third time that Evans has said goodbye. In addition to McCay’s real-life and on-screen memorial, actors gathered to talk about their beloved late cast member in a video segment that can be accessed by downloading the DOOL APP.

“It was nice that we did that memorial [on the DOOL APP] where we could talk about Peggy as ourselves,” Evans adds. “If you watch it, you can see that we all loved her. She made an impact on all of our lives.”

Days Of Our Lives airs weekdays on NBC. Check local listings for air times.