John Conboy Dead at 83

John Conboy, an executive producer known for his work on soap operas The Young and the Restless, Santa Barbara, Guiding Light and Capitol, died Friday in Palm Desert, California. He was 83.

Conboy won four Daytime Emmy Awards for his work on the soap operas: his first for The ABC Afternoon Playbreak, two for The Young and the Restless and one for Santa Barbara.

After beginning his television career as an actor, he made the switch to producing in 1970 on Love is a Many Splendored Thing. He then moved to The Young and the Restless in 1973, winning Emmys in 1975 and 1983 for outstanding daytime drama. In 1982, he left the show to executive produce Capitol, which ran for five years.

Conboy went on to executive produce Santa Barbara, winning his fourth Emmy in 1990 for daytime drama. He returned to CBS to produce Guiding Light.

He also worked on a number of TV movies, including Kiss of a Killer, The Solitary Man, After Hours: Singin', Swingin' and All That Jazz and After Hours: From Janice, John, Mary and Michael, with Love.

Growing up in Binghamton, New York, Conboy graduated from Carnegie Mellon University’s College of Fine Arts.

The Young and the Restless star Judith Chapman tweeted about Conboy's passing on Friday.

"It is with heavy hart and a grateful smile that I called him my friend," she wrote. "'BIG' JOHN CONBOY, the ORIGINAL Producer on THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, left us today The Big Guy, with the BIG LAUGH, Man about Town, and One HELLUVA PRODUCER...Whether you loved him, or not ..YOU have to agree He was ONE OF A KIND! God Bless you, John..Give Jeanne a Hug from all of us"

Love is a Many Splendored and Knots Landing star Donna Mills posted about Conboy on Instagram.

"Goodbye is never easy but I feel so truly blessed to have had John Conboy as such a big and special part of my life," she said. "Your extraordinary career is a testament to your ability to captivate audiences everywhere and that legacy will live on forever. You are an unmatched light that will be so truly missed. Rest in paradise my dear ❤️"

A private memorial service is being planned.