Marla Adams, Daytime Emmy Winner for Y&R, Dead at 85

Marla Adams, who played the role of Dina Abbott Mergeron on and off years on Young and Restless since 1982, has passed away. She was 85.

In Memoriam: A Daytime Veteran

Adams, born August 28, 1938, in Ocean City, New Jersey, was a beauty — inside and out. She won the Miss Ocean City and Miss Cape May beauty pageants and finished as runner-up in the Miss New Jersey pageant. Adams was also Miss Diamond Jubilee Queen during the 1954 celebration of the 75th anniversary of Ocean City’s founding.

She studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Adams appeared on Broadway in The Visit at the Morosco Theater with Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne in 1958. She starred as June on the big screen in the 1955 feature, Splendor in the Grass.

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Veteran daytime fans recall her sensational portrayal of Belle Clemens on The Secret Storm from 1968-74. She took on the role of Y&R’s Dina Abbott Mergeron in 1982. Adams came and went from Genoa City over the years. In between visits to Y&R, she appeared briefly on Bold and the Beautiful as Beth Logan, Brooke’s (Katherine Kelly Lang) mom, and narrow-minded Helen Mullins on Generations. She also played Claire McIntyre on Days of our Lives in 1999.

Her prime-time credits include Sisters, Time of Your Life, The Golden Girls, Hart to Hart, The Love Boat, and the movie, Beneath the Leaves. Marla Adams returned to Y&R in 2017. Soon, it was revealed that Dina was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Dina died in 2020.

The actress won the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2020. She’d also been nominated in the same category for playing Dina in 2018. Adams is survived by daughter Pam Oates, son Gunnar Garat, grandchildren, Gefjon and Stone, and her great-grandson Remi. Soap Hub sends deep condolences to Adams family at this difficult time.