Dee Freeman, the actress known for her roles on Sistas and The Young and the Restless, has died at 66.
Freeman passed away Thursday after a battle with cancer, her family shared on Instagram. “On behalf of her family, it is with deepest sadness that we share this update with you. Dee passed away peacefully on April 2, 2026, after a brave and fearless fight with cancer,” the statement read. “Thank you to everyone who supported Dee during her battle. She is now in heaven, being the force of nature she always was, now with her angel wings on. Rest in peace, Dee.”
Born in Louisiana in 1959, Freeman joined the United States Marine Corps after high school. Following her military service, she began a career in the arts, starting in theater before moving into film and television. She most recently appeared in seasons nine and 10 of Tyler Perry’s Sistas, portraying Valerie Barnes, the mother of KJ Smith Black’s character Andi Barnes.
Freeman’s screen work also included appearances on three episodes of The Young and the Restless, a 2016 episode of Shameless, and a 2021 episode of NCIS: Los Angeles. From 2010 to 2015, she led the satirical comedy Pretty the Series. At the time of her passing, she was developing a novel adaptation of her one-woman show Poison Gun, inspired by her family history.
Her publicist, Desirae L. Benson, described Freeman as “someone I truly respected and admired. Even in the face of stage 4 lung cancer, she showed up with courage and dignity. Dee had a quiet power that commanded respect without ever needing to demand it. Her legacy is not just in her work, but in how she made people feel — and that will stay with us forever.”
Freeman is survived by her children, Amber and Shane, as well as her mother, brothers, and sisters.
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