‘All My Children’ Star Sydney Penny Announces Death of Husband Robert Powers

Former child star Sydney Penny, who played a young Meggie on The Thorn Birds, and who later became a familiar face to soap opera fans, most notably as Julia on All My Children, is sharing on social media that her husband has passed away.

“I’m heartbroken to have to share the news that my husband of 29 years, Robert L Powers, passed away early in the morning on New Year’s Eve,” Penny announced on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/sydneypenny

“He hadn’t widely shared that he had been fighting cancer for several months, so I know this will be a surprise to many. He loved seeing all of your activities here on FB and I know he would want you to speed through your sadness and shock and continue to celebrate life as he always did.”

Powers died just one day shy of his 60^th birthday.

Sydney Penny and Robert Powers attend the 11th Annual Soap Opera Digest Awards on February 17, 1995 at Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

According to his online bio https://robertpowersart.com/about, Robert Lee Powers was born in Okinawa, Japan on January 1, 1965 to USAF Major Samuel Edwin Waters, Jr. and Mary Ann Dailey. Waters, a distinguished F-105 pilot, died in combat during the Vietnam War.

Powers, his mother and younger sister, Samantha returned to Laguna Beach, Calif. where Mary Ann later married Arthur William “Bill” Powers, a real estate developer, who adopted Powers and his sister. While enjoying all that Southern California had to offer, Powers developed a passion for art. He began painting watercolors and then, transitioned to working in acrylic and oil on canvas, often creating scenes depicting the ocean, fashion, or sports.

His artwork appeared on such TV shows as Gilmore Girls and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Powers met Penny after she was cast on the NBC serial Santa Barbara during the show’s final years. Penny played sexual abuse survivor B.J. Walker, the daughter of A Martinez’s Cruz and Kim Zimmer’s Jodie.

The couple wed in 1995 in Corona de Mar, Calif. Powers supported Penny in her acting career which brought them to New York (where she played Julia on AMC opposite Keith Hamilton Cobb’s Noah), Canada, and France. While in Paris, Powers studied at the Cordon Bleu, where he cultivated his love of cooking.

Penny returned to Los Angeles in 2003 to take on the role of Samantha on Bold and the Beautiful.

In 2016, Powers purchased Jester’s Café on Castle Street in Wilmington, North Carolina which he ran until his illness prevented it in 2024.

In addition to Penny, Powers is survived by the couple’s son, Chasen, to whom he referred to on social media as “the boy child.” He enjoyed tennis and chatting with neighbors while out walking the dog. Many will remember his cooking, his sense of humor, his signature curly blond hair and larger than life personality, but those who knew him best will cherish him as the most loyal of friends.

Penny said that there may be a memorial in the future but in the meantime, she asked friends who wish to remember her husband may want to honor him with a donation to his favorite charity, Paws Place. https://www.facebook.com/pawsplace/