J Eddie Peck breaks silence on Cole's death, thanks fans of The Young and the Restless

On The Young and the Restless, Victoria and Claire were heartbroken when Cole Howard succumbed to his illness in the hospital. After months of speculation by fans, actor J. Eddie Peck has broken his silence on his departure from his long-term role on the show, and has a message for his fans.

What happened to Cole on The Young and the Restless

Y&R's Victoria, Cole, and Claire at the tack house | Images: JPI

On The Young and the Restless, Cole Howard (J. Eddie Peck) returned from a business trip with a horrible cough and fever. Although Victoria had asked him to move in to the tack house with her, Claire, Johnny, and Katie, Cole still had his room at the Genoa City Athletic Club.

Because Cole was so sick, he insisted on returning ot his hotel room as he didn’t want to infect anyone. However, Victoria and Claire insisted on caring ofr him — and neither contracted what he had. At first, Cole thought he had a bad cold or some sort of virus that he picked up while traveling. Once he got so sick that he had to be hospitalized, doctors thought he might have pneumonia.

Shortly thereafter, Cole was transferred to a hospital in Chicago, and was diagnosed with Legionnaires’ Disease. The doctors tried various combinations of antibiotics in hopes that one would work, but his body didn’t react to any of them. Unfortunately, Cole was transferred back to Genoa City, where he held on long enough to tell his daughter and the love of his life a very sad goodbye.

Claire couldn’t take the news and ran out of the room, refusing to believe that it was their final moments. Victoria, however, could see that Cole had accepted his fate and chose to spend his last moments in love. She was kissing him as he was taking his last breaths.

J Eddie Peck leaves The Young and the Restless

On Instagram, actor J. Eddie Peck addressed his fans today. “Just a quick shout out as Cole takes his last breath on the show today — and with that, this chapter of my journey on The Young and the Restless comes to a close.”

Peck continued, “I want to thank all of you — my fans, friends, and Y&R family — for welcoming me back with such incredible warmth and support. Your messages, posts and enthusiasm made this return deeply meaningful for me. I'll do a lil follow up with a video later today or this eve. Much love, J.Eddie”

Watch The Young and the Restless on CBS or stream on Paramount Plus.

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Edited by Erin Goldsby