Sad news for Young and the Restless (Y&R) fans as it has been announced that former alum and actress Jennifer Leak D’Auria passed away recently, after a seven-year fight with a rare neurological condition known as supranuclear palsy. She died on Monday, in her Jupiter, Florida home at the age of 76.

While Jennifer is best known for her Y&r role as Gwen Sherman, she had quite the acting career. She began working at the age of 17 when she shot a Canadian television pilot for a series called Wojeck.

According to Jennifer’s husband, James D’Auria, the film director Mike Nichols was so impressed with her natural talent that he cast her in The Graduate; however, immigration issues kept her from participating in the movie.

She would move to L.A. later on, living at the Hollywood Studio Club…