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Dee Freeman, who’s best known for starring on The Young and the Restless, has died aged 66.
Dee’s family announced the news on Instagram, where they revealed she’d passed away on Thursday from stage four lung cancer.
The post read: ‘On behalf of her family, it is with deepest sadness that we share this update with you.
‘Dee passed away peacefully on April 2, 2026, after a brave and fearless fight with cancer.’
Her family then thanked those who supported Dee while she was living with cancer, adding, ‘It blew her away to know how many people cared about her.’
‘We know Dee is up there in heaven, being the force of nature she always was. Now she’s doing it with her angel wings on. Rest in peace, Dee,’ it finished.
Following the news, family and friends paid tribute to the late actress.
‘Ms. Dee was a force and so lovely to work with,’ wrote Crystal Renee. ‘She will be missed. Sending my love to her family and loved ones.’
Born in 1959 in Louisiana, Dee spent six years serving in the US Marine Corps before chasing her acting dreams.
‘Oh, Ms Dee— Thank you for your beautiful energy and the light you brought to SISTAS. Prayers to the family,’ added actor Brian Jordan, Jr. ‘We will always speak your name.’
Meanwhile, publicist Desirae Lee Brockington said: ‘I am so heartbroken. Dee was a true gem, and as her publicist, I watched her growth, her elevation and how she lit up every room she entered!! No more pain, I’m comforted knowing she is free.’
Born in 1959 in Louisiana, Dee began her career in the US Marine Corps of all places.
She spent six years in the service, rising to the rank of sergeant.
After leaving the corps, she lived in Japan, where she worked as a DJ at a radio station. Eventually, Dee moved to Los Angeles, where she secured her first TV credit in a minor role on the show Coach.
Following this, she went on to appear on Party of Five, 3rd Rock From The Sun, Seinfeld, The X-Files, Six Feet Under, and ER.
In October 2025, Freeman announced she had been diagnosed with lung cancer.
To help cover the costs, she launched a GoFundMe page.
‘I’m fighting this with not only western medicine but alternative medicine as well,’ she wrote. ‘Whether your donation is big or small, every cent helps.’
Before her death, she had been adapting her one-woman show, ‘based on my childhood in Louisiana, my grandparents’ murder, and the subsequent investigation,’ into a novel.
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