Eileen Davidson devastates soap opera fans nationwide. The actress announced she's stepping away from her role on The Young And The Restless.

Saying Goodbye To Ashley

The actress took to Twitter on Wednesday, June 27 to announce her departure from the hit show, noting how thankful she is for her time there.

"Yes I am leaving ... I've been so blessed to be able to play Ashley Abbott and work with the amazing people on the show and have nothing but gratitude and love for all!!!" she wrote.

Although the actress didn't give any indication as to why she decided to step away at this stage, Davidson noted how she wanted to have more flexibility in her daily life.

The 59-year-old first landed the role back in 1982, subsequently leaving the show in 1998. Brenda Epperson and Shari Shattuck took over the character in her absence, but it's unclear whether someone else will play Ashley now that Davidson seems to have left Genoa City for good.

Davidson returned in Y&R in 1999 and stayed with the show while simultaneously appearing on three seasons of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Her soap opera job was a recurring story-line on the hit reality show, with Davidson even gifting fellow cast-member Erika Jane a guest role on Y&R for her birthday.

The actress recently took home a Daytime Emmy for best actress for her role as Ashley. She's due to say goodbye to the show she's been a part of for three decades in September.

Saying Goodbye To The Housewives

According to her IMDb profile page, Davidson has appeared in a whopping 1,468 episodes of The Young And The Restless to date.

Her departure from the long-running soap comes close to a year after she revealed that she's stepping away from RHOBH after three years on the show.

"After a lot of careful thought, I've decided because of my crazy schedules ... it's best for me and my family if I step away from being a Housewife for now," she said in a statement.

At the time, she told fans to keep a look out in case she popped up from time to time to stir things up and thanked them for their ongoing support.

Davidson was a fan favorite, beloved for her sweetness and calm approach to the often explosive arguments made famous by the Bravo franchise.

The actress has also appeared in Days of Our Lives and The Bold and the Beautiful. She's been married to husband Vincent Van Patten for 15 years, and the two share a teenage son, Thomas.