Genoa City’s Grande Dame, Katherine Chancellor, was a mainstay on The Young and the Restless throughout most of its run. Katherine was both beloved and hated by fans, who witnessed the character’s rise and fall throughout her 40 years on the soap.
Genoa City’s Grande Dame
After graduating from Genoa City University, Katherine (Jeanne Cooper) married her college classmate Gary Reynolds, and they welcomed their only child, Brock. After Gary’s untimely death, Katherine began running his business and later turned over the company to her new husband and Gary’s college roommate, Phillip Chancellor II.
Devastated that his mother wouldn’t trust him to run his father’s company, Brock left town with Lorie Brooks, the daughter of Katherine’s high school classmate, Stuart Brooks.
Katherine turned to alcohol to numb the pain of the mess she made of her life. She was also angry at her husband for taking a mistress, Jill.
When Jill became pregnant, Phillip filed for divorce from Katherine, igniting a feud that lasted decades.
After the divorce, Katherine tried to win him back. While driving her husband, in a moment of desperation, Kay drove their car off a cliff. Phillip died after a deathbed wedding to Jill.
Katherine fell for Derek Thurston, who tricked her into marriage, despite his love for Jill. In exchange for staying in the marriage, Katherine would set up a $100,000 trust fund for Jill’s son, Phillip Chancellor III.
Derek’s ex-wife, Suzanne Lynch, returned to Genoa City, drugged Kay, and sent her to a sanitarium. She was later presumed dead in a fire in the facility.
Derek and Jill planned their wedding, only to have Katherine show up as they were about to say “I do” and reclaim her fortune and her husband.
Katherine allowed Derek to run Chancellor Industries, but he was inept at business. She later hired Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) to take his place.
Katherine later fell in love with tennis pro, Brent Davis, the former lover of Dina Abbott.
Through the years, Katherine and Jill’s feud continued, and they even battled over Jill’s son, Phillip III. Jill later hired Brian Romalotti, also known as former con Rex Sterling, to romance Katherine and steal her fortune, but the plan backfired when they fell in love and married.
Rex’s former cellmate, Clint Radison, switched Marge Cotrooke for the real Katherine. Rex later divorced his wife for Jill (Jess Walton). Clint began selling off Katherine’s assets, starting with her company. Brock rescued his mother and exposed Clint’s scheme.
Later, Katherine and Marge got into a car accident on the way to rehab. Katherine was mistaken for Marge and pronounced dead at the scene. Kay was rescued by Marge’s friend, Patrick Murphy, believing she was Marge. Katherine regained her memories and convinced Murphy to take her home. Katherine and Murphy began a relationship and were later married.
Katherine began suffering from memory lapses and Jill blamed her new assistant, Adriana. It was eventually revealed Katherine had a brain tumor, and Katherine made Cane keep her secret while she underwent surgery.
Kay later stepped down as CEO of Chancellor Enterprises and named Cane her successor. Katherine Chancellor, one of the most important and vibrant people to ever live in Genoa City and appear on The Young and the Restless, later died in her sleep.
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