EXCLUSIVE: On Sunday, June 16, shortly after the conclusion of the 40th Annual Daytime Entertainment Emmy Awards, Soap Opera Network caught up with Jess Walton (Jill Abbott, “The Young and the Restless”), who said, “She was so loved, and she so loved her fans more than anyone,” while discussing the passing of Jeanne Cooper (Katherine Chancellor). Cooper died on Wednesday, May 8 after a brief illness.
During the Tuesday, May 28 tribute episode of “Y&R,” it was announced that the soap would address the passing of Cooper’s alter-ego. When asked how the show would do that, Walton would only say, “It’s too premature to talk about that, but it’s going to be fantastic. I guarantee it!”