Jeanne Cooper Dies: 'Young And The Restless' Starlet Dead At Age 84, Son Corbin Bernsen Confirms Soap Opera Star's Passing On Twitter

Soap opera icon Jeanne Cooper, best known as Katherine on "The Young and the Restless," died at age 84 on Wednesday morning after she had been hospitalized multiple times since April for an unknown illness.

Cooper's oldest son, actor Corbin Bernsen ("L.A. Law") announced the news on Twitter:

Mom passed this morning. She was in peace and without fear. U all have been incredible in your love. In her name share it 2 day with others.

— Corbin Bernsen (@corbinbernsen) May 8, 2013

Bernsen, who also spent several years on "The Young and the Restless," had updated the public on his mother's condition multiple times last week on his Facebook page. Here is an excerpt from what he wrote on Saturday:

"I said goodbye to her yesterday, and even then not fully meaning it or expecting that would be the last time I saw her. But now it will have to do as we enter this weekend letting her final voyage begin. And I'm good with it, honestly. Enough to be saying it here. You all have been a tremendous ear for me, to verbalize my struggles with all of this... even now with these very words... I am good. I am good. I don't want her in pain. I don't want her in fear or agony. Along with her tremendous success she's had too much of all that in her lifetime. And she's shared much of it with all of you, candidly. So I'm giving her this weekend, take the holiday, mom, make it yours, let it take you where it will. My final words to her last night were, "I'll see you again." And I will, either here or there. Prayers please for her safe and peaceful journey. I may take a break here for a bit and stay silent in prayer and mediation for the next few days... Then again, I am my mother's son and staying quiet isn't always an option. May the light of God grace shine upon us all this weekend. Make it about love, compassion, and honesty, and in doing so you will honor my mom and the examples she has always tried to set, to this very moment."

Cooper starred on "The Young and the Restless" for almost 40 years since its debut in 1973. She played Katherine Chancellor and, occasionally, her lookalike Marge Cotrooke. Cooper advised the show's writers to incorporate storylines from her life into the show, including her facelift in the mid-1980s and her struggles with alcoholism. The soap even used the actual footage from Cooper's facelift on the show.

Cooper earned 10 Daytime Emmy nominations in her career and finally won one in 2008. She also earned a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004 and earned two Primetime Emmy nominations for her role as Corbin Bernsen's character's mother on "L.A. Law."