Dee Freeman, Actress Known for The Young and the Restless and Sistas, Dies at 66 After Lung Cancer Diagnosis

Dee Freeman, an actress best known for starring in The Young and the Restless and Sistas, has died. She was 66.

The actress died following a stage 4 lung cancer diagnosis, her publicist Desirae L. Benson said in a statement. Freeman’s family confirmed her death in a post on her Instagram on Friday, April 3.

“On behalf of her family, it is with deepest sadness that we share this update with you. Dee passed away peacefully on April 2, after a brave and fearless fight with cancer,” the family captioned a photo of the actress.

“Thank 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,” the caption continued. “ We know Dee is up there in heaven, being the force of nature she always was. Now she’s doing it with her angel wings on. Rest in peace, Dee.”

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Benson described Freeman as “someone I truly respected and admired” in her statement, while praising the actress’s “strength” amid her cancer battle.

“Even in the face of stage 4 lung cancer, she showed up with courage and dignity,” Benson wrote. “Dee had a quiet power that commanded respect without ever needing to demand it.

Freeman served six years in the United States Marine Corps before starting a career in acting, appearing in her debut onscreen role in a 1995 episode of the ABC sitcom, Coach, Deadline reported.

The Louisiana-born actress also starred in three episodes of the soap, The Young and the Restless in 1997 and 2009 and led the satirical parady show Pretty the Series from 2010 to 2015.

She starred in several other TV shows, including Seinfeld, Rude Awakening, ER, The Hughleys, The X-Files, Dexter, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Do Us Part, Shameless and NCIS: Los Angeles.

Freeman most recently appeared in the Tyler Perry-directed show Sistas in January. Her previous onscreen appearance was in a 2022 episode of the TV series Reasonable Doubt.

Freeman is survived by her two children, Amber and Shane.