Roscoe Born, a veteran soap actor who appeared on “One Life to Live” and “Santa Barbara” has died at the age of 69.
“It is with a heavy heart that I share the news of Roscoe Born’s passing,” Born’s friend and business partner Deanna Lynne wrote in a Facebook post on Friday. “He was an incredibly talented actor and songwriter. Many who knew him know how dedicated he was to social and political causes. He will be missed forever.”
A cause of death has not been disclosed.
Born appeared on numerous daytime soaps and was a favorite among soap fans. Although he was best known for starring as arch-villain Mitch Laurence on ABC’s “One Life to Live” on multiple separate occasions between 1985 and the show’s cancellation in 2012, he also played a villain on CBS’s “The Young and the Restless” in 2005, and earned an Emmy nomination for his dual role on NBC’s “Santa Barbara” in 1990.
His other soap opera other credits included “All My Children,” “As the World Turns,” “Guiding Light,” “Days of Our Lives,” “Passions,” “Ryan’s Hope,” “The City” and the short-lived primetime drama “Paper Dolls.”
Friends and colleagues have taken to Twitter to offer their sympathies:
We're saddened to hear the tragic news that soap legend Roscoe Born passed away today. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time. pic.twitter.com/ME78ojSIjC
— Daytime Emmys (@DaytimeEmmys) March 6, 2020
Roscoe Born was a talented and generous actor and a kind man to boot. He would often say that everything he did was for his daughter. My thoughts are with her and his family today. #RIP https://t.co/rY9ZANc1qW
— Greg Rikaart (@gregrikaart) March 6, 2020
Our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Roscoe Born. He was an incredible actor and person who blessed #YR with his talents! https://t.co/VdakvrxoQz
— Young & The Restless (@YRInsider) March 6, 2020
Mitch Laurence as portrayed by Roscoe Born was one of my all-time favorite TV villains as a teenager watching One Life to Live. I was privileged to get to write for him, and while I eventually sent Mitch to hell, I sincerely hope Roscoe is in heaven… #oltl #RIPRoscoeBorn https://t.co/xUioEl7VbO
— Ron Carlivati (@carlivatiron) March 6, 2020
I can’t put into words how incredibly heart broken I am to hear of Roscoe Born’s passing. He was an incredible partner to work with and a master in his craft. I can say without a doubt that some of my favorite work on Oltl was with Roscoe. He will be greatly missed. ?
— Melissa Archer (@_MelissaArcher) March 6, 2020