What Happened to Delia on THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS

Cordelia “Delia” Abbott may be gone from THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS, but she is not forgotten by her family and loved ones. The daughter of Billy Abbott and Chloe Mitchell, Delia was born in 2006 and played by a set of triplets and then twins as a baby and toddler, then by Sophie Pollono beginning in 2011 until her tragic death in 2013, though the young actress has made a couple more appearances since then. But if you’re a newer fan of Y&R unfamiliar with the little girl’s history, let us fill you in…

Chloe had tried to pass her baby off as Cane Ashby’s but after Delia’s birth, she confessed the truth and Billy learned that he was the daddy. But Cane signed the birth certificate and filed for custody. Billy married Chloe so she would have a better chance at winning the case but Cane eventually dropped the suit.

Delia was kidnapped along with Lucy, the black market baby Billy and Victoria had adopted, by Jana Hawks, and Kevin Fisher helped convince her to give the children back. As time went on, Chloe refused to let Billy anywhere near his daughter because of his drinking and dangerous behavior. But when Delia was diagnosed with Leukemia, Victor Newman helped bring Billy home from Myanmar and his bone marrow helped save her life. This helped inspire Billy to be a better man and a better father for his little girl.

In the fall of 2013, Delia was cast as the Wicked Witch of the West in a school production of The Wizard of Oz, and Billy gave her a dog that looked like Toto they named Dash. After the play, Billy was driving Delia home and stopped for ice cream. But when the little girl let Dash out of the car to go to the bathroom, the dog ran across the road and when Delia ran after him, she was struck by a car! Billy called an ambulance, but the child later died of her injuries at the hospital.

Billy was overwhelmed with guilt, and Chloe was inconsolable. When Chelsea Lawson’s son, Connor, needed a cornea transplant, Chloe agreed to donate Delia’s to save his vision. Adam Newman knew he’d hit something that night in the dark and was horrified to learn it was Delia. He attempted to cover his tracks, but Billy took revenge by kidnapping him and forcing a confession out of him at gunpoint. While driving, Billy struggled with Adam over the gun and their car crashed. Billy escaped but he left Adam trapped in the car as it caught fire and he was presumed dead for a time.

Every year, on the anniversary of Delia’s death, her family remembers her in different ways. They have planted a tree in Chancellor Park in her memory, named a children’s theater after her, and built a roadside memorial where she was hit. Delia has also made occasional appearances to her family members as a ghost to check in on them, once urging Billy to forgive Adam for the accident.

When Adam returned to Genoa City in 2019, he had amnesia and was rocked to learn of his role in the little girl’s death. Billy was also haunted by memories of his daughter as he struggled with a mental breakdown. And in December 2020, as Billy lay in his prison cell, wrongly accused, he had a lengthy nightmare in which Delia made an appearance to berate her father for never changing as he always promised.

As long as Delia remains in the hearts of her family and loved ones, she will never be forgotten.