Lee Phillip Bell, who co-created US soaps The Young And The Restless and The Bold And The Beautiful, has died aged 91.
Bell died of natural causes at her home in Los Angeles, according to Eva Basler, a spokeswoman for the family and their company Bell-Phillip Television Productions.
“Our mother was a loving and supportive wife, mother and grandmother,” her family said in a statement. “Gracious and kind, she enriched the lives of all who knew her. We will miss her tremendously.”
Bell and her husband William J Bell co-created two of American daytime television’s most successful and enduring dramas. The Young And The Restless has been on the air since 1973, while The Bold And The Beautiful will mark its 33rd anniversary in March.
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
Born in Chicago on June 9, 1928, Bell began her career as a broadcast journalist in her home town, where she hosted and produced her eponymous daytime talk show from 1953 to 1986. She explored timely social issues and concerns, while also interviewing US presidents Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan, Judy Garland, Clint Eastwood, Oprah Winfrey, Lucille Ball and the Beatles and Rolling Stones. She won 16 regional Emmy Awards for her show.
Bell also produced and narrated several award-winning specials and documentaries on such topics as foster children, rape and divorce.
Bell won a Daytime Emmy award for outstanding drama series for The Young And The Restless in 1975. She received a lifetime achievement award from the Daytime Emmys in 2007.
Her husband died in 2005. She is survived by her sons William and Bradley and daughter Lauralee Bell Martin, who appears on The Young And The Restless. William Bell is president and CEO of the family’s production company. Bradley is executive producer and head writer for The Bold And The Beautiful.
Her daughter-in-law, Colleen Bell, served as US ambassador to Hungary during president Barack Obama’s administration and is executive director of the California Film Commission. Another daughter-in-law, Maria Arena Bell, is a former head writer on The Young And The Restless. Her other survivors are son-in-law Scott Martin and eight grandchildren.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here