Eric Braeden’s thoughts on retirement were echoed by co-star Jeanne Cooper. In a 2012 interview with Associated Press (viaThe Washington Times), she explained why she had no intention of walking away from the role she’d played since 1973. “What would I do? I’m no good at crocheting,” she quipped. “My fingers would bleed.”
The following year, she was hospitalized due to an undisclosed ailment, and died within weeks. As Entertainment Weeklyreported, her son, actor Corbin Bernsen, took to social media to confirm that she died on May 8, 2013. Because episodes of “The Young and the Restless” don’t air until about six weeks after they’re shot, Cooper’s character, Katherine Chancellor, had recently undergone successful surgery to remove a brain tumor. According to Soap Opera Digest, Cooper taped her final scene on March 26, but it didn’t air until May 3 — just five days before her death.
Speaking with TV Guide (as reported by TVLine), “Y&R” exec producer Jay Farren Phelps revealed that episodes had already been written into July, “so it will take some time before we can address [Cooper’s character’s] departure on air.” During the interim, she explained, scripts noted that Katherine and her husband were traveling. Katherine’s death was eventually revealed to viewers, reported Today, with her memorial service airing that September. Fittingly, Bernsen guest starred as Father Todd, the priest officiating Katherine’s service.