R.I.P. Sharon Farrell: ‘The Young and the Restless’ Actress Dead at 82

Sharon Farrell, the actress best known for her roles in the 1974 sci-fi horror It’s Alive and the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless, has died. She was 82.

Farrell’s sister confirmed the news in an Aug. 2 Facebook post. The star passed away on May 15 at LA Downtown Medical Center, she shared. While she wrote that she did not know the cause of death, Farrell’s son, Chance Boyer, later told The Hollywood Reporter that her death was unexpected and due to natural causes.

Born Sharon Forsmoe on Christmas Eve in 1940, the actress kicked off her career as a ballerina touring with the American Ballet Theatre Company. When she was 18 years old, she made her film debut in Kiss Her Goodbye (1959), before going on to star opposite James Garner and Rita Moreno in the 1969 neo-noir film Marlowe. That same year, she played Steve McQueen‘s love interest in The Reivers.

Five years later in 1974, Farrell starred as Lenore, the mother to a murderous infant, in It’s Alive. Other film credits include The Premonition (1976), Sweet Sixteen (1983) and Can’t Buy Me Love (1987), the classic Patrick Dempsey-led rom-com in which she played Amanda Peterson‘s mother, Mrs. Mancini.

Soap opera fans may recognize Farrell from The Young and the Restless. The actress made her debut on the long-running show as Florence “Flo” Webster in 1991. Flo, a part-time prostitute who was later tricked into marrying her daughter’s ex-husband, came to Genoa City to live with her daughter Nina (Tricia Cast). She eventually left the series in 1997 when her character moved to Los Angeles.

She also had a recurring role as Detective Lori Wilson in the original Hawaii Five-O from 1977-1980.

Aside from her storied career, Farrell had quite an interesting personal life. She was married five times — two of which were to actors Andrew Prine and John F. Boyer. Moreover, she was reportedly involved in a love triangle with McQueen and Bruce Lee.

In a follow-up Facebook post, Farrell’s sister poked fun at her love life.

“If interested, look on Wikipedia for her body of work, movies, and TV appearances,” she said, before adding, “Some things are not on there …I need to add a few more boyfriends.”

She is survived by her son, Chance, her grandson, Wayde, and daughter-in-law Mandi.