‘The Young And The Restless’ Star Passes Away At 76

Jennifer Leak, the soap opera actress who shot to stardom as a young Gwen Sherman on “The Young and the Restless,” passed away at 76, the New York Post reports.

News of Leak’s death was shared by her ex-husband and fellow actor Tim Matheson, who wrote on Facebook that she died last Monday.

“It is with a heavy heart that I share the news of Jennifer Leak’s passing,” he wrote. “She wasn’t just my screen sister in ‘Yours, Mine and Ours,’ but also my beloved first wife. Jennifer was a remarkable woman, strong, lovely, and incredibly talented. My deepest condolences go out to her husband of 47 years, James D’Auria and their multitude of friends.”

Matheson and Leak met on the set of “Yours, Mine and Ours” first in the 1968 season, playing step-siblings in the family comedy for three years.

An obituary for the actress claimed she spent the past seven years battling the effects of progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare brain condition that affects body movements such as walking, balance, and eye function. She died at her home in Jupiter, Florida.

‘The Young and the Restless’ star Jennifer Leak dead at 76 https://t.co/BVvGMw3V3U pic.twitter.com/9mcUxFgYbp

— New York Post (@nypost) March 29, 2024

WATCH:

Born 1947 in Wales, UK, Leak first took up acting at age 17 without formal training, nearly snagging a role in 1967’s “The Graduate” starring Dustin Hoffman but was held back by immigration issues. After a successful stint on “Yours, Mine and Ours” Leak made cameos on other hit nighttime shows including “Hawaii Five-0,” “Nero Wolfe,” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” For three seasons in the 1970s, she appeared on “Young and the Restless” as Gwen Sherman, a former prostitute who explores the possibility of love before giving her life to the nunnery.

She retired from acting in 1977, the year she married her husband of 47 years, James D’Auria. She went on to work as a successful real estate agent, splitting time between East Hampton and New York City. The couple left for Florida in 2017.

After her diagnosis, Leak began participating in research programs exploring cures for the disease she suffered from, according to D’Auria. “Her courage and bravery tried in vain to fight the disease,” he said, noting she donated her brain tissue to the Mayo Clinic for further studies.

Leak is survived by her husband as well as her brother, Kenneth Leak of Toronto. Her ashes will be buried in the graveyard of her childhood church in Wales.