Lee Phillip Bell Dies: Co-Creator of The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful Was 91
Paul Dailly
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Emmy-winning soap writer Lee Phillip Bell, who co-created CBS soaps The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful, has died.
She was 91.
Bell's children revealed the sad news to The Hollywood Reporter, with the following statement:
Our mother was a loving and supportive wife, mother and grandmother. Gracious and kind, she enriched the lives of all who knew her. We will miss her tremendously.
The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful took to the shows' official Twitter accounts to pay their respects to Bell.
“We are deeply saddened by the news of the passing of a member of our CBS family and Daytime community, Emmy Award winning broadcast journalist, and co-creator of Y&R and B&B, Lee Phillip Bell. She was a pioneer in television and will be missed dearly.”
Lee worked with her late husband William J. Bell, and they co-created The Young and The Restless in 1973 and The Bold and the Beautiful in 1987.
Both shows still air on CBS to this day, and will likely be on the air for several more years. Despite many soaps sinking in the ratings, both have been resilient performers.
In fact, Y&R was recently renewed through 2024.
Lee won the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Daytime Drama Series in 1975 for her work on Y&R, and went on to receive a Daytime Emmy for Lifetime Achievement in 2007.
The talented writer also had a career as a TV personality, hosting The Lee Phillip Show for over 30 years.
Following the news breaking CBS soap stars took to social media to pay their respects, with Melody Thomas Scott, who plays Nikki Newman on Y&R, posted a photo of herself and Bell.
We are all devastated by the passing of Lee Phillip Bell. A television pioneer and powerhouse in her own right, she elevated daytime television in co-creating “The Young and the Restless” with her equally iconic husband, Bill Bell. We sadly mourn our true matriarch. 🙏🏻💜 pic.twitter.com/V5nUaz4N5E
— Melody Thomas Scott (@MelodyThomasSco) February 26, 2020
Jess Walton, who plays Jill Foster Abbott Fenmore Atkinson, also remembered Bell as one of the “finest women” she ever knew.
"RIP to the great Lee Bell. One of the finest women I have ever known. A kind, gentle and very smart lady.💙 to her children and grandchildren and to all who knew her," she said via Twitter.
The Bold and the Beautiful's Katherine Kelly Lang shared the following:
Lee Philip Bell was such a class act! She was such an inspiration and forged the way for women in entertainment starting her own talk show in 1953!
And she truly was the title of one of her shows The Bold And The Beautiful! She was an incredible mother and business women.
And had a knack for balancing her life. She was smart, funny, always smiling or laughing, determined and strong. She always made me feel good when I was around her. She was so warm and caring.
Working with her on @boldandbeautifulcbs for 33 years was such an honor and just hanging out and laughing with her was so much fun too! We will miss you Lee!
You had an incredible life. My thoughts are with Brad, Bill, and Lauralee and the rest of the Bell family. Much love to all🙏💖
Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.
