IN MEMORIAM

Best known for her portrayal as Lucinda Walsh on “As The World Turns” and Dr. Althea Davis on “The Doctors,” daytime legend Elizabeth Hubbard has died. She was 89 years old.

“I’m sorry to say with a broken heart mi mum passed over the weekend,” said Jeremy D. Bennett, Hubbard’s son, in a Facebook post published on Monday. “Thank you for being an unmovable rock that guided me through life. I will try to honour your memory for as long as I live.”

In a statement released to The Hollywood Reporter, Bennett told the trade Hubbard died on Saturday, April 8 of cancer at her home in Roxbury, Connecticut.

“We are saddened to hear of soap-opera legend Elizabeth Hubbard’s passing at age 89. A force to be reckoned with, Hubbard stole our hearts with her portrayal of Althea Davis on ‘The Doctors,’” read a message on the official Twitter page for “The Doctors,” which airs in reruns on Retro TV.

Hubbard got her start in television with roles in such soaps as “The Edge of Night” and “Guiding Light” before landing her starring role on “The Doctors” in 1964. She remained with the series until 1978 and returned from 1981-1982. 

In 1974, Hubbard was the first woman ever to win the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Althea on “The Doctors.” She went on to win another Emmy for her portrayal as Edith Wilson in the TV movie “First Ladies Diaries: Edith Wilson,” which told the story of the wife of Thomas Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president of the United States. Hubbard would later receive eight additional Daytime Emmy Award nominations for her role as Lucinda on “As The World Turns.” Joining the show’s cast in 1984, Hubbard remained with the series until it concluded its run in 2010. Hubbard also had a recurring role in the soap opera “One Life to Live” from 1983-1984, playing society matrong Estelle Chadwick, and in 2009, she had a limited run in the Dutch soap “Goede tijden, slechte tijden” (in English: Good Times, Bad Times”) playing the role of Sair Poindexter.

Outside of daytime, Hubbard’s TV career also included guest appearances in such shows as “Life on Mars,” “Hope & Faith,” “Law & Order,” “Max Welby, M.D.” “The Virginian” and “The Job,” among others. She more recently starred as Eva Montgomery in the digital drama series “Anacostia.” She received a Daytime Emmy nomination in 2016 for her role in the series, marking her 11th career nomination with two total wins. Hubbard made her break into the film industry in 1970, starring opposite Melvyn Douglas and Gene Hackman in “I Never Sang for My Father,” which received a Golden Globe Awards nomination for Best Motion Picture – Drama and an Academy Award nomination for Best Screenplay.

In 2016, “The Talk,” which replaced “As The World Turns” on CBS, featured a mini-reunion featuring cast members from the daytime drama series, including Hubbard, Colleen Zenk (ex-Barbara), Ellen Dolan (ex-Margo) and Martha Byrne (ex-Lily). The group talked about their favorite moments from their time in the series.

Watch the clip below.

Speaking of Byrne, who portrayed Hubbard’s on-screen daughter on the soap, the actress posted a heartfelt message on Instagram in tribute to her lifelong friend. In it, she said, “As many of you are finding out this morning, Elizabeth Hubbard passed away. First and foremost I want everyone to know I made sure she was aware of how much everyone loved her. I would share your comments from social media, videos and your fond memories of her as Lucinda, Althea, every time I saw her. She loved the audience and fought like HELL to bring truth and honesty to her performances. 

“On a personal level there aren’t words to describe how much she meant to me. Only feelings, which override words in so many cases when it comes to love. I will be sharing more so we can all grieve together but here are our last words together only just a few days ago. I said, ‘Liz, do you know how much you have done for me?’ She said, ‘You can do more.’ Because of what she has done for me over the last 38 years, the strength and fearless nature in how she lived her life, she is right, I can AND WILL do more. I look forward to sharing more about her life, which encompasses so much more than her INCREDIBLE career on daytime television. She also said to me when I told her how much the fans loved her… ‘I tried.’ She more than tried. She left it all on the screen. I’ll miss her every day but grateful the universe gifted me with such a force of nature, of which the world will not see the likes of again.”

Watch some lovely tributes dedicated to Hubbard’s memory below.