Dee Freeman Dies: ‘The Young and the Restless’ & ‘Sistas’ Actress Was 66

Dolores ‘Dee’ Freeman, the actress who appeared in The Young and the Restless and Tyler Perry’s Sistas, has died. She was 66.

The actress’ family announced that she died on Thursday following “a brave and fearless fight” with stage 4 lung cancer, sharing a statement on her Instagram profile.

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“On behalf of her family, it is with deepest sadness that we share this update with you,” they prefaced in the post. “Dee passed away peacefully on April 2, 2026 after a brave and fearless fight with cancer.”

The family continued, “Thank you to everyone who supported Dee during her battle. It blew her away to know how many people cared about her and were pulling for 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.”

Born in Louisiana on June 6, 1959, Freeman served in the United States Marine Corps for six years before relocating to Japan and working as a radio DJ.

Freeman made her onscreen debut in a 1995 episode of ABC’s Coach, going on to appear in shows like Party of Five, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Suddenly Susan, Seinfeld, Caroline in the City, Kenan & Kel, The X-Files, The Hughleys, Six Feet Under, ER, Bones, Dexter, The Young and the Restless, Shameless and Tyler Perry’s Sistas.

From 2010 to 2015, Freeman starred in the parody reality show Pretty the Series as Ribina Champagne.

Recently, Freeman was adapting her one-woman show Poison Gun into a novel, inspired by her family’s history.

Freeman is survived by her children Amber and Shane, an ex-husband and multiple exotic animals.

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