15 Most Shocking Soap Deaths & Exits of 2025 From ‘General Hospital, ‘Y&R’ and More
The revolving door in the soap opera world has never stopped spinning, and the year 2025 was no exception!
While soaps are known for their somewhat stable casts and continuing characters, there comes a time when players are given a rest either for storyline purposes or stalled contract renegotiations. Soaps are often forced to end characters when their portrayers pass away in real life.
When characters exit the canvas, they can be sent to that great soap in the sky or they announce that they’ve chosen to go because they’ve received a “job offer of a lifetime” that they simply can’t turn down!
The latter option is both ironic and small comfort to fans who are going miss their favorite soap star, who may or may not have their next acting gig lined up.
With the exception, of course, of characters who leave shows because the actors playing those parts die, it’s not uncommon for characters who are written out to someday return. In fact, one person on our list this year of exits has already checked back into his soap!
Below is a look at the shocking exits we’ve seen this year on Beyond the Gates, The Bold and the Beautiful, Days of our Lives, General Hospital, and The Young and the Restless.
John Black (Drake Hogestyn, Days of our Lives)
Drake Hogestyn passed away in September 2024 after a battle with pancreatic cancer, but viewers didn’t have to say goodbye to his alter ego, John Black, until the following June due to the show’s production schedule. More than any other show, DAYS has had characters return from the dead. But this time, there was no need to leave a door open by not finding a body. The show wasn’t going to recast the role, so, when a severely injured John came back from a dangerous mission (to help save the life of Bo Brady, played by Peter Reckell), viewers knew that he wasn’t likely to survive. John exited the series as he joined it – with his head wrapped in bandages. The memorial for John brought back many fan favorites including Christie Clark (Carrie), Charles Shaughnessy (Shane), Anna DiMera (Leann Hunley), and Christopher Sean (Paul).
Lois Cerullo (Rena Sofer, General Hospital)
In 2023, Sofer returned to GH after a 26-year absence. The Daytime Emmy-winner walked back into the role as if she’d been gone only a few months. It was great fun watching Sofer’s Lois interact with ex-husband Ned (Wally Kurth), ex-mother-in-law Tracy (Jane Elliot), old friends, and new faces, including daughter Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton). When the writers decided to give Brook Lynn a long-lost son in Gio (Giovanni Mazza), someone had to be painted as the person who knew about the baby’s whereabouts and identity – but didn’t tell Brook Lynn. Lois was chosen to be the secret-keeper, which led to some conflicts with her daughter and other family members. Lois passionately defended her reasons for keeping Gio’s origins a secret. When Sofer moved to the East Coast after living in L.A. for 35 years, Lois left the country, taking a job as a manager for singer Blaze (Jacqueline Grace Lopez).
Phillip “Chance” Chancellor IV (Conner Floyd, The Young and the Restless)
Poor Chance never stood a, well, chance. Despite playing a member of one of Y&R‘s longest running families (the Chancellors), the show took Floyd (a movie star waiting to happen!) off contract. But every soap needs a detective, which Chance was, so he appeared on a recurring basis. Chance took a job to help find out who was trying to kill Cane (Billy Flynn), so he joined nearly half the show’s cast of characters who went on a trip to France to party at Cane’s chateau. Tragically, the lawman took a bullet and died, but Floyd wasn’t out of work for long. He’s going to debut as the new Chad DiMera (the role Flynn vacated to take on the part of Cane) next spring. Could we see Floyd back on Y&R someday? Well, his character’s funeral did take place off-camera, so there’s always a – wait for it – “chance.”
Luna Nozawa (Lisa Yamada, The Bold and the Beautiful)
The half-hour soap appeared to be setting Luna up to be the show’s new young heroine. Destiny (in the form of head writer Bradley Bell) had other ideas! Luna turned out to be a luna-tic and went on a killing and kidnapping spree in order to attach herself to a wealth family. She set her sights on Will Spencer (Crew Morrow), determined to get some of the Spencer Publishing money! Luna took advantage of a drugged Will and had sex with him, becoming pregnant. She thought that would secure her position as Will’s new wife, but he was not interested. Jailed for her crimes, Luna (who claimed to have miscarried) escaped via the old laundry cart routine. She made her way to Will’s beach house, but she was struck and killed by a car being driven by Dylan (Sydney Bullock) while trying to elude authorities.
Carter (Vincent Stalba, Y&R)
Before we knew for sure that the enigmatic Aristotle Dumas was, in reality, Cane Ashby (Billy Flynn), we met his assistant, Carter. We wouldn’t have been surprised if Carter had made his way back to Genoa City with his boss. After all, loyal aids can have nice runs on soaps. Characters need someone to bounce all their ideas off of, right? Alas, Y&R had different (and more short-term) plans for Carter. He killed one character, Damian (Jermaine Rivers), and then, tried to take Lily (Christel Khalil) hostage to make his getaway once he was discovered. In the fray, Carter took out Chance (Conner Floyd) and then tried to make an escape. Sensing no way out, Carter took his life, his plan to prove to Cane that he cared about him more than anyone else had failed miserably.
Cyrus Renault (Jeff Kober, GH)
Daytime Emmy-winner Jeff Kober captivated viewers with his portrayal as the “reformed” Cyrus. If anyone could convince us that someone truly could change it was Cyrus, in Kober’s capable hands. But the cast-heavy GH needed to bump off a few characters, so Cyrus went on a killing spree. His body count came to an end after Josslyn Jacks (Eden McCoy) pumped lead into the man who killed our beloved Sam (Kelly Monaco) and hottie Dex Heller (Evan Hofer). You can’t keep a good man down, however, or, in this case, a bad one. Kober recently reprised Cyrus when he appeared as a figment of Laura’s (Genie Francis) imagination in a nightmare. We don’t like our beloved mayor having bad dreams, but if it means bringing Kober back more often? Then, yeah, we’re OK with Laura having nightmares!
Damian Kane (Jermaine Rivers, Y&R)
Newcomer Rivers infused Genoa City with not only some energy, but he brought romance to Lily Winters (Christel Khalil). Why is it that just when you get what you want in life, the universe takes it away? After months of flirting and working out trust issues with Lily, she and Damian finally consummated their relationship. Lily opened her heart and started to find love again. Alas, Damian was a threat to his ex-boss, Cane (Billy Flynn), who wanted to reconcile with his former wife. Well, that’s how Carter (Vincent Stalba) saw it. Crafty Carter drugged Damian and then stabbed him in the back with a knife. The blade was thrown from a distance so we weren’t quite sure at first whether Damian or Cane was the intended target. Not only did Damian lose his life, but his memorial service was held off-camera. Now, that’s gotta hurt!
Brad Cooper (Parry Shen, GH)
Shen‘s Brad left Port Charles in style earlier this year. The General Hospital lab tech negotiated with morally bankrupt Congressman Drew Cain (Cameron Mathison) into giving him a cool $5 million after leveraging the information he had discovered. Brad knew that Dr. Portia Robinson (Brook Kerr) had altered Heather Webber’s (Alley Mills) medical tests that got her off the hook for her role as the, er, Hook. Brad wasn’t always the most honest person, but Shen brings a likability to Brad to where you can’t help but like the guy. Once GH resurrected Dr. Britt Westbourne (Kelly Thiebaud), who is Brad’s bestie, we figured Brad couldn’t be far behind. Parry has come and gone from the show before (like when he went off to jail), but he popped up again GH in mid-December and we couldn’t be more thrilled! Can Brad and Britt start heating up the popcorn now to watch next year’s Nurses Ball?
Dr. Doug McBride (Jason Graham, Beyond the Gates)
The good doctor went from “beyond the gates” to the Pearly Gates after perishing from injuries sustained in a car accident. Well, car “wreck” might be more appropriate as the “accident” was arranged by Joey Armstrong (Jon Lindstrom), who just happens to be having a fling with Vanessa (Lauren Buglioli). Another character who didn’t make it through BTG‘s first full year was Kenny, played by Jason Vendryes. Kenny was one of two thugs who tried to rob (and probably do worse) to Vernon Dupree (Clifton Davis) and Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon). Unlike his brother, Kenny survived the night, but he tried to blackmail the Dupree family over the death of his sibling. He didn’t survive for long, though, upon showing up in Fairmont Crest. Det. Marcel Malone (Darryl W. Hand) and Joey apparently silenced Kenny for good!
Bo and Hope Brady (Peter Reckell and Kristian Alfonso, DAYS)
Bo returned to Salem a decade ago for DAYS’s 50th anniversary, but the visit was bittersweet as Bo died in Hope’s arms. The show’s writers brought him back a few years ago, but Bo went into a coma, separating him from his beloved “Fancy Face.” John’s heroic act helped bring Bo home so he could reunite with Hope once again. John’s memorial was all the sadness that DAYS fans could handle. The show gave viewers a different ending with Bo and Hope this time. The couple remarried and left Salem together. Sure, it’s sad that Bo and Hope aren’t on our screens right now, but it’s comforting knowing that they’re out there, traveling the world and living their best lives. We’ll be keeping a special eye on the Horton Christmas ornament tree ceremony this year, hoping that Bo and Hope’s ornaments make an appearance if they’re not going to.
Prof. Henry Dalton (Daniel Goddard, GH)
Henry’s story took a few twists and turns and had a few false starts, but soap fans were patient. Things were looking up when Dr. Britt Westbourne (Kelly Thiebaud) returned to Port Charles and was paired with Dalton. Also, Mayor Laura Webber Collins (Genie Francis) reamed the professor (who was using dogs for experiments) after he tried to frame her trespassing grandson Rocco (Finn Carr) with crimes he hadn’t committed. Alas, baddie Jenz Sidwell (Carlo Rota) felt that the professor had become a liability and promptly shot him. He later had Dalton’s body planted in Laura’s car trunk so he could blackmail her into doing his bidding. Goddard played twins on Y&R (Cane and Caleb). Maybe his GH character has a doppelganger? Ironically, Dalton’s name is being mentioned more now than when he was alive!
Colin Atkinson (Tristan Rogers, Y&R)
GH hasn’t yet addressed the passing of Robert Scorpio even though his portrayer, Tristan Rogers, died on August 15, 2025. But the actor was known to soap fans for more than his role as the WSB agent on the ABC soap opera. In between GH stints, Rogers originated the role of Colin Atkinson, Cane’s con artist father. When the show reintroduced Cane (with Billy Flynn) earlier this year, the show invited Rogers to reprise Colin. On his deathbed, Colin imparted some words of wisdom on his son. Y&R told the story of Colin’s final moments in black and white flashbacks, a very effective touch as the noir theme emphasized the seriousness of what Colin was saying. Cane is still figuring out what’s next in life for him. There’s a wistful sadness to Colin’s son because he knows he no longer has his dad in his life.
Natalia Ramirez (Eva LaRue, GH)
Poor Natalia. We know there was a good person in there, but Natalia made remarks that didn’t shine a positive light on the LGBTQIA+ community and it was challenging for some to get behind her. Natalia worked hard at redoing her image and in LaRue’s capable hands, she was on her way. Sonny (Maurice Benard) took a liking to Natalia, but she found it difficult to figure out where in his world she fit. The show fleshed out story for Natalia by revealing that she was the ex-wife of crime boss Jenz Sidwell (Carlo Rota). Alas, a combination of bad choices (pills and alcohol) sealed Natalia’s fate and she passed away. It might have made more for long-term viability to have brought LaRue onto GH as her All My Children character, Dr. Maria Santos. GH could always use another physician, right? But the good news is that could still happen.
Cole Howard (J. Eddie Peck, Y&R)
Peck was off the Y&R canvas for decades, and then, the show invited him back as Cole’s “late” daughter Eve (a.k.a. Claire), played by Hayley Erin, was being resurrected. Cole and the rest of Claire’s family convinced Claire that she was loved and had been stolen from Cole and her mother, Victoria (Amelia Heinle), shortly after her birth by her unbalanced Aunt Jordan (Colleen Zenk). Later, Cole traveled around the world on behalf of Newman Publishing. When he returned, we heard him cough. Ut-oh. Well, we know that means. Poor Cole had contracted Legionnaire’s disease. Some days, he was fine. Others? Not so much. While most of Victoria’s family was over in France at Cane’s (Billy Flynn) chateau, Cole entered the hospital. He shared farewells with Claire and Vicki and then, he died. (Unless, of course, a secretly alive Aunt Jordan kidnapped him from his room!)
Dr. Monica Bard Quartermaine (Leslie Charleson, GH)
Leslie Charleson, beloved as Monica since her debut in Port Charles in 1977, passed away on January 12, 2025, but for a variety of reasons, Monica’s death wasn’t written into GH until shows that aired in September. The show’s writers crafted some brilliant episodes in which Monica’s son Jason (Steve Burton), sister-in-law Tracy (Jane Elliot), and other beloved family and friends members mourned Monica’s passing. Laura’s (Genie Francis) eulogy hit all the right notes especially when she pointed out that while Monica married into the Quartermaine clan (through her union with the late Alan, played by Stuart Damon), she was indeed a Quartermaine. Monica’s death heralded the end of an era on GH, but the show used her passing as an opportunity to bring Erika Slezak (ex-Viki, One Life to Live) briefly onto the show as Monica’s sister Vernoica “Ronnie” Bard. Now, Tracy owns the Quartermaine home located at 66 Harbor View Drive. How so? “Monica gave it to her.”
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