{"id":563402,"date":"2026-04-04T03:54:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T03:54:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/563402\/"},"modified":"2026-04-04T03:54:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T03:54:08","slug":"sistas-young-and-the-restless-actress-was-66","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/563402\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Sistas,’ ‘Young and the Restless’ Actress Was 66"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tDee Freeman, the Sistas<\/a> and Young and the Restless actress, has died. She was 66.<\/p>\n

\n\tFreeman died Thursday following a battle with cancer, her family announced on Instagram<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cOn behalf of her family, it is with deepest sadness that we share this update with you. Dee passed away peacefully on April 2, 2026 after a brave and fearless fight with cancer,\u201d their statement reads. \u201cThank 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\u2019s doing it with her angel wings on. Rest in peace, Dee.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBorn in Louisiana in 1959, Freeman joined the United States Marine Corps after high school. After serving in the military, she began her career in the arts, beginning with theater and then evolving into film and television. She most recently starred in seasons nine and 10 of Tyler Perry\u2019s Sistas, where she portrayed Valerie Barnes, the mother to KJ Smith Black\u2019s character Andi Barnes. <\/p>\n

\n\tFreeman lent her acting talents to three episodes of The Young and the Restless; a 2016 episode of Shameless; and a 2021 episode of NCIS: Los Angeles, among others. She also led the satirical comedy Pretty the Series from 2010-2015. <\/p>\n

\n\tAt the time of her death, Freeman was developing a novel adaptation of her one-woman show Poison Gun, which was inspired by the history of her family. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cDee wasn\u2019t just my client \u2014 she was someone I truly respected and admired,\u201d\u00a0Desirae L. Benson, Freeman\u2019s publicist, said in a statement<\/a>. \u201cShe carried herself with a level of grace, strength, and authenticity that is rare. Even in the face of stage 4 lung cancer, she showed up with courage and dignity. Dee had a quiet power that commanded respect without ever needing to demand it. Her legacy is not just in her work, but in how she made people feel \u2014 and that will stay with us forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tFreeman is survived by her children, Amber and Shane; her\u00a0mother, brothers and sisters. <\/p>\n