Stars we lost in 2023: Soap actress Andrea Evans, the 'Daytime Diva of Dirt'

Famous soap opera actress Andrea Evans died in her home in Pasadena, California, in July 2023. “She was such a tremendous talent and an absolute joy to work with,” her manager told the LA Times as he announced the sad news.

Born in Aurora Illinois in 1957, Evans was just 66 years old. She died of breast cancer. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, breast cancer kills around 42,000 women and 500 men in the US each year. It is the second leading cause of death for women overall.

Evans’ first big role came in 1978 as the spoiled and mischievous Tina Lord on the ABC soap opera ‘One Life to Live.’ Her storyline was credited with putting the show back on track. She stayed until 1981.

From 1983 to 1984, she appeared as Patty Williams — a character known for her love of romance and mental health issues. Evan’s last Instagram post a few months before her passing was about the role. “So proud to have been part of the show,” she wrote.

Image: andreaevansprod / Instagram

After some other roles in TV movies and miniseries, in 1985 she returned to the wacky character that made her famous — Tina Lord. Her storylines were so juicy that People dubbed her ‘Daytime’s Diva of Dirt.’

In 1988, Evans was even nominated for her depiction of the “mega-popular” Tina Lord. A snippet of that year’s storyline? “Tina is kidnapped by Ursula Blackwell, who is obsessed with Patrick and plans to raise his baby. Tina and Ursula survive a fall out of a lighthouse window, and Tina loses the baby.”

Evans was huge in the world of daytime TV. She appeared on the cover of Soap Opera Digest five times — once per year between 1986 and 1990. Meanwhile, her character was falling out of lighthouses, discovering an abandoned underground city and getting kidnapped.

Image: Soap Opera Illustrated cover, June 1988

Then all a sudden, her life was becoming as bizarre as the storylines she was portraying. In 1990, Evans abruptly quit ‘One Life to Live,’ totally vanishing from the public eye for several years. Fans were left wondering what happened to her…

Years later, she opened up to People magazine about what made her quit her successful career and flee her home in New York City. It was all because of a stalker. “The fear forever changed me,” she said.

She explained that she was first accosted by her stalker — a Russian man who was later identified as ‘paranoid schizophrenic’ – in the lobby of her New York studio in 1987. But things quickly escalated. He cut his wrists on the studio’s front steps and was sent to a psychiatric hospital. There, he listed Evans as his next of kin. He also sent her death threat, some written in blood.

There were no stalking laws in New York at the time, and even though the police and FBI were on the case, they were powerless to arrest the man unless he physically harmed Evans. The man had previously stalked Ronald Reagan. Eventually, he was caught carrying a meat clever a picture of Evans. Fearing for her life, she moved to Los Angeles. The stalker never contacted her again.

After a four-year hiatus, she appeared in a couple films, in the mid-90s, including the comedic slasher film ‘Ice Cream Man’ in 1995.

Image: 'Ice Cream Man' 1995, Ardustry Home Entertainment LLC via andreaevansprod/Instagram

The move to Los Angeles seemed to be great for her personal life. In 1998, she married attorney Stephen Rodriguez. Then, after failing to conceive, they adopted a daughter in 2004. Here is her family at her daughter's graduation in 2022.

Image: andreaevansprod / Instagram

At the turn of the millennium, she got back to her home in soaps. She played Tawny Moore on ‘The Bold and The Beautiful,’ from 1999 to 2000 and then again from 2010-2011.

She also left her mark on the NBC soap ‘Passions’ from 2000-2008. There she played Rebecca Hotchkiss, one of the show’s main antagonists.

When ‘One Life to Live’ celebrated its 40th anniversary, Evans was invited back on the show, which revisited notable plotlines like Tina’s famous 1987 plunge over Iguazu Falls. That didn’t last long, but she went back in 2011 to give the fans closure.

Image: andreaevansprod / Instagram

Outside of soaps, she was still dabbling with other projects. She was in the film ‘Hit List’ and even nominated for an Emmy for the web series ‘DeVanity’ where she played a member of a dysfunctional rich family. She also produced a documentary called ‘Rocking the Couch’ and played Patty Walker on the web series ‘The Bay.’

Cancer is a cruel disease. Evans leaves behind her 19-year-old daughter, husband and many other friends and family members who she was very close to. Here she's pictured with her nuclear family and her nephew who features heavily in her social media feed.

Image: andreaevansprod / Instagram