Who died on The Young and the Restless today (July 3, 2025)? Details explored

Fans of the CBS daily soap The Young and the Restless witnessed the emotional exit story arc of Cole Howard as he bid farewell to his wife and daughter. After struggling with Legionnaires' disease for weeks, Cole lost his battle with the illness and passed away on July 3, 2025. With this, actor J. Eddie Peck exited the show.

This comes months after his romance with Victoria picked up speed and he settled into a peaceful life in Genoa City. Although Cole Howard returned to The Young and the Restless in 2023 as part of an evil plan of his aunt, he ultimately became a welcome partner for the lonely Victoria.

Meanwhile, the long-running soap currently revolves around the revelation of Cane Ashby's existence as the mysterious and fake Dumas. While Cane's company is busy buying up large real estate spaces in town, he is holding Genoa City's influential people as guests at his French estate.

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The Young and the Restless: Revisiting Cole Howard's journey on the soap

Eve Howard's son was first introduced on the soap in 1980 as a baby. At the time, he was played by child artist NP Schoch. However, Eve left with her son, who returned a decade later to work at the Newman ranch. The adult Cole was portrayed by J. Eddie Peck. While he began getting close to Nikki, Victoria set her eyes on him.

When the two eloped, Eve tried to stop Cole from having an incestuous relationship with his half-sister. However, she died before stopping him. But the Newman patriarch proved that Cole was not his son. As such, Cole remarried Victoria. Their daughter was kidnapped shortly after her birth, and the parents were informed of the child's death.

Baby Eve's death drove the couple apart, and Ashley Abbott took advantage of that. Cole divorced Victoria to marry Ashley, but eventually left her after being pressured to have a baby. In 1999, J. Eddie Peck's Cole left Genoa City for Europe.

He returned to The Young and the Restless in 2023, when his Aunt Jordan orchestrated his reunion with the Newmans as part of her revenge plan. While the victims survived, Jordan was caught, imprisoned, escaped prison, and finally killed due to poison consumption.

However, Jordan's arc brought Cole back into his family's life when he and his ex-wife learned that their daughter was alive. The Young and the Restless fans learned that Baby Eve was now Claire Grace. They reunited with their daughter and picked up the pieces of the lost time. Victor approved of Cole's return to his daughter's life. As such, Cole joined Newman Enterprises as an employee.

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The Young and the Restless: How did Cole's exit arc unfold?

Newman Enterprises sent Cole on various business trips. Back from one such trip, Cole was seen coughing, but he ignored it. However, his cough worsened over the weeks. By the end of April 2025, Victoria and Claire grew concerned about Cole's condition, but he refused medical consultation.

His health took a nasty turn during Nikki's birthday party, where he had a coughing fit. Following the event, Cole landed at the hospital, as seen on Thursday's episode of June 5, 2025. He was receiving treatment at a medical facility in Chicago.

However, as Victoria informed Adam on Wednesday's episode, dated July 2, 2025, Cole was not responding to antibiotics. With his condition worsening, he returned to a hospital in Genoa City. On the same day, the hospital called Victoria and Claire to meet the patient.

Cole opened his eyes to find them both at his bedside. He expressed his love for them and told Claire how proud he was of her. While Claire asked him to rest, he pointed out that he had limited time on his hands to say goodbye.

He asked Victoria to take care of their daughter while he waited for her on the other side. The couple shared a final kiss as Cole passed away, leaving Victoria tearful. The mother-daughter duo returned to an empty home to grieve the loss of their loved one.

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Continue watching The Young and the Restless as the rest of the family returns home to the sad news of Cole's death.