This article has been updated to include a link to our recap of Dina's passing and a special video retrospective of some of Dina Mergeron's greatest moments. Both can be found at the end of this article.
If fans had a nickel for every time they shed a tear during the emotional storyline in which The Young and the Restless' Dina Abbott Mergeron developed Alzheimer's, they'd all be millionaires. But they're rich nonetheless, having had the opportunity to watch portrayer Marla Adams bring the heartbreaking storyline to life these past three years. Alas, the actress' Emmy-nominated run on the CBS soap opera is now coming to an end.
CBS has confirmed that Adams has bid farewell to her Y&R family, and viewers will watch Dina pass away from Alzheimer's disease this week.
CBS Promotional Video
Adams originated the role of Dina in 1983 and played the character until 1986, returning for brief stints in 1991, 1996, and 2008. She returned to Y&R in 2017 and began what she called a "very emotional, very draining" dementia storyline that led to a Daytime Emmy nomination for the actress in the Outstanding Supporting Actress category in 2018.
As Soap Central reported at the beginning of Dina's Alzheimer's storyline, the emotional turn of events for Jack (Peter Bergman), Traci (Beth Maitland), and Ashley's (Eileen Davidson) mother was inspired by then-executive producer/head writer Mal Young's real-life mom, who fought her own battle with the disease before passing away.
"So many people I've talked to can relate to this loneliness and the heartbreak that emerges when one grapples with Alzheimer's disease," Young said at the time. "In my career, I have learned that I don't want to preach to people. I've tackled the difficult topics through my television work: domestic violence, breast cancer, children with disabilities. But I am simply a storyteller providing a mirror to society, saying: 'This is you.' Featuring these topics opens our audience up for discussion and it helps people grappling with these issues realize that they aren't alone. We want them to see themselves in the characters, and they want to be heard."
Some of Adams' other daytime roles include Days of Our Lives' Claire McIntyre, The Bold and the Beautiful's Beth Logan, Generations' Helen Mullin, and Capitol's Myrna Clegg.
If you're like us, you'll probably need to prepare yourself for what will undoubtedly be a heartbreaking episode when it airs Friday, October 16.
UPDATE (October 16, 2020): If you missed the farewell episode to Marla Adams' Dina, you can read our complete recap of the episode here. And below, take a stroll down memory lane with some of Dina Mergeron's greatest moments.
How do you feel about the way Y&R has handled Dina's Alzheimer's journey in the last three years? How do you feel about Marla Adams and Dina's time on the show coming to an end? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
