What happened to Colleen Carlton on The Young and the Restless? Explained

The Young and the Restless star, Colleen Carlton, was a fictional character who left her mark in the popular American CBS soap opera world. Portrayed by different stars, the character debuted on March 15, 1992, as Brad Carlton and Traci Abbott's daughter and grew up into a teenager portrayed by Lyndsy Fonseca from 2001 to 2005. It was last played by Tammin Sursok.

Colleen Carlton on The Young and the Restless show is known to be a sweet little Daddy's girl as a kid grows up into quite a rebellious teen. People loved to see her paired with J.T. Hellstorm (Thad Luckinbill) so much that the couple were given the title of the soap opera super couple. Colleen's death in The Young and the Restless in 2009 met with mixed reviews from critics.

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How did Colleen Carlton die on The Young and the Restless?

Colleen's life took a tragic turn following the heroic death of her father, Brad Carlton, while saving Noah Newman. Colleen strained friction between Victor and Newman Enterprises by taking over his role on the board. To ruin Colleen's reputation and professional opportunities, Victor staged a controversy to bring her down.

Following this, Colleen Carlton went to the Abbott cabin, where she met Patty Williams, who was completely oblivious to who she was and why she was in town.

Colleen was bound to a tree after a terrible confrontation, but she fought her way free and tried to help Patty. While they were fighting, Colleen lost her balance and fell into the lake, hurting her head and getting hallucinations of her loved ones.

Colleen was pronounced brain dead upon arrival at the hospital, despite Jack Abbott's efforts to revive her. Traci Abbott was devastated and chose to turn off her life support. In an emotional turn of events, Nikki Newman begged for Colleen's heart for Victor who required a transplant following a heart attack.

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Who played Colleen Carlton on The Young and the Restless?

Colleen Carlton in The Young and the Restless, a legacy character, was Brad Carlton's and Traci Abbott's only daughter in the show. Several child actors played her roles from the time of her onscreen birth in 1992 up until 1995. Afterward, the character was transferred to the canvas and subsequently returned at a later date, having quickly matured into a teenager.

In 2001, Lyndsey Fonseca became the first actress to play the teen/young adult version and carried on with the role till her character was written off in 2004. She later returned for a brief stint at it in late 2004 and continued to early 2005.

The show recast the character in 2006 with Adrianne León, a former General Hospital actress who they let go in 2007. And then, an Australian singer-actress, Tammin Sursok, was chosen to portray the role till the character's death in 2009.

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How intimate was Colleen Carlton with Daniel Romalotti?

Michael Graziadei has been portraying Daniel Romalotti in The Young and the Restless since 2004. Although Danny Romalotti (Michael Damian) and Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford, Gina Tognoni) are legally considered Daniel's parents, a subsequent plot point established that Brian Hamilton is Daniel's biological father.

Colleen goes through two breakups, first with J.T. and then with Adrian. At the same time, Daniel was struggling with his breakup with Amber. So he enters into a relationship with Colleen Carlton which does not last long as he decides to go back to Amber.

Watch the latest episodes of The Young and the Restless with spoilers on CBS and Paramount Plus.