Candice Jean Earley (August 18, 1950 – January 31, 2019) was an American actress and singer born in Oklahoma.

Early years

Earley was born in

Lawton, Oklahoma Lawton is a city in and the county seat of Comanche County, in the U.S. state of Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Ce ...

, to Harold and Jean (née Daily) Earley. She won the Miss Lawton title. She had 14 years of training as a classical singer and attended Trinity University, where she studied drama.

Career

Earley is most famous for her role as Donna Beck Tyler Cortlandt Sago Tyler on the

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

All My Children ''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 20 ...

'', a role she played from 1976 to 1992. Donna was originally a troubled youth, who was a runaway and a prostitute. In her first appearance on ''All My Children'', Donna is found in a hospital bed and in a coma after being kidnapped, beaten and raped by her pimp, Tyrone. However, the actress playing the part of Donna was not Candice Earley, but a different actress originally hired to play the part. The producers were unsatisfied with the acting ability of this actress, and Earley was hired to play the part, which was slated to be a short-term role. Earley's portrayal proved popular with viewers, and won an award for Most Exciting New Actress in the first annual Soapies held in 1977 (these awards are now known as the

Soap Opera Digest Awards ''The Soap Opera Digest Awards'', originally known as ''The Soapy Awards'' when introduced in 1977, is an awards show held by the daytime television magazine ''Soap Opera Digest''. History 1977 until 1983 The Soapy Awards were an award presen ...

). Over time, the character of Donna grew into a mature woman with a gift for singing. Earley was written out of the show in 1992. Earley had Broadway roles in ''

Hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and f ...

'', '' Grease'', and ''

Jesus Christ Superstar ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Gospels' accounts of the Passion, the work interprets the psychology of Jesus and other characters, with ...

''. She also portrayed Sheila with a touring company of ''Hair'' and sang in the chorus of a touring company of ''Jesus Christ, Superstar''. A lyric soprano, Earley also performed in cabarets.

Death

Earley died on January 31, 2019, after an eight-year battle with

multiple system atrophy Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder characterized by autonomic dysfunction, tremors, slow movement, muscle rigidity, and postural instability (collectively known as parkinsonism) and ataxia. This is caused by progr ...

(MSA).

References

External links

* 1950 births 2019 deaths Actresses from Texas People from Fort Hood, Texas American soap opera actresses American musical theatre actresses American stage actresses Neurological disease deaths in Arkansas Deaths from multiple system atrophy 21st-century American women {{US-tv-actor-1950s-stub