On this day in 1982, The Salem Strangler murdered Marlena Evans on Days of our Lives. Fans were so upset, NBC had star Deidre Hall (Marlena) taking angry phone calls from viewers in their office. In a twist, it turned out to be Marlena's twin sister, Samantha, who had been killed. That's where the name of Marlena's daughter, Sami (Alison Sweeney) comes from.
In 1999 - The series finale of the primetime soap opera, Melrose Place, aired on FOX. More than a few actors from daytime had prominent roles on the show over the years, including Lisa Rinna (Taylor McBride), Jack Wagner (Peter Burns) and Patrick Muldoon (Richard Hart).
In 2005 - Cassie Newman, played by Camryn Grimes, died at the hospital in front of her parents, Nick and Sharon, on The Young and the Restless. Cassie, who was only fourteen years old, had a crush on Phyllis' son, 16-year old Daniel Romalotti (Michael Graziadei). She attended a party and found Daniel drunk and passed out and attempted to drive him home. She crashed the car. This would be one of the saddest storylines ever seen on daytime. Remember?