Lee Phillip Bell, Co-Creator of CBS Soaps The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful, Dead at 91

Dave Nemetz
·2 min read

Emmy-winning soap writer Lee Phillip Bell, who co-created long-running CBS daytime staples The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful, has died at the age of 91, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Bell’s children confirmed the news in a 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.”

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The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful offered their condolences via the shows’ official Twitter feeds: “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.”

Along with her late husband William J. Bell, she co-created The Young and the Restless in 1973 and The Bold and the Beautiful in 1987; both soaps remain on the CBS daytime schedule to this day. She won the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Daytime Drama Series in 1975 for her work on Y&R, and received a Daytime Emmy for Lifetime Achievement in 2007. (William and Lee’s son Bradley Bell has been the head writer of The Bold and the Beautiful since 1993.)

Lee Phillip Bell also had a long career as a TV personality, hosting the Chicago talk show The Lee Phillip Show for more than 30 years. She interviewed many newsmakers and celebrities on the show, including President Richard Nixon, John Wayne and Lucille Ball.

Bell’s daytime legacy lives on: The Young and the Restless just scored a four-season renewal at the Eye network, guaranteeing it’ll run until at least 2024.

Launch Gallery: <i>The Young and the Restless</i>' 10 Best Characters Ever

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