Billy Miller was sweetly honored on today’s episode of The Young and the Restless — nearly one week after his shocking death.
At the end of the episode, the words, “In Loving Memory,” appeared on the screen, along with four touching images from Miller’s time on the long-running show. The star, who was 43 at the time of his passing, joined Y&R from 2008 to 2014 as the fourth actor to play Billy Abbott. He went on to win three Emmys for his role.
Following today’s episode, fans of the soap opera took to social media to praise Y&R’s tribute to Miller.
“Very classy and lovely of Y&R to honor Billy like that,” one wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter), while another added, “I’ve got chills. How beautiful and thoughtful of Y&R.”
A third person posted, “I can’t help but have tears whenever I see Billy Miller. I appreciate Y&R‘s memorial for him at the end of today’s episode. Sometimes, love isn’t enough to help you stay.”
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“I was in tears when I watched Y&R’s memorial tribute to Billy,” someone else said.
Miller — who also starred in soaps like All My Children and General Hospital — died in Austin, Texas on Sept. 15. In a statement to Soap Opera Digest, his mother, Patricia Miller, revealed that he died by suicide following a long battle with bipolar depression.
“I want to personally thank the many fans & personal friends for the overwhelming amount of love, prayers & condolences sent to me and my family on the devastating death of my beautiful son BJ — Billy Miller,” she wrote. “He fought a long hard valiant battle with bipolar depression for years. He did everything he could to control the disease.”
She continued, “He loved his family, his friends and his fans but in the end the disease won the fight and he surrendered his life. The other causes of death being told are not true. I wish they were but they just aren’t. We all loved him so much and are desperately trying to deal with our loss. I will have nothing further to say. Thanks for the love and support.”
If you or someone you know are experiencing suicidal thoughts, call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 988.
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