The co-creator of The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful, Lee Phillip Bell, has died aged 91.

Bell, an accomplished broadcast journalist and talk show host, and her husband William created two of the world’s most prominent soap operas, which have run continuously for over 47 years, and aired more than nearly 20,000 combined episodes.

In a statement on Wednesday night, her children described her as “a loving and supportive wife, mother and grandmother”.

“Gracious and kind, she enriched the lives of all who knew her. We will miss her tremendously.”

Born in Chicago in 1928, Bell hosted the Lee Phillip Show for more than 30 years, where she interviewed presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, as well as The Rolling Stones and The Beatles.

In 1973, she and her husband William Bell created soap opera The Young and the Restless, winning a daytime Emmy award in 1975. In 1987, the pair created the spin-off The Bold and the Beautiful.

Both are still currently airing, and Bell won a daytime Emmy lifetime achievement award in 2007 for her work.

Veteran cast member of The Young and the Restless, Melody Thomas Scott, described Bell as “a true matriarch”.

“A television pioneer and powerhouse in her own right, she elevated daytime television,” Scott said, who has played the role of Nikki Newman since 1981.

We are all devastated by the passing of Lee Phillip Bell. A television pioneer and powerhouse in her own right, she elevated daytime television in co-creating “The Young and the Restless” with her equally iconic husband, Bill Bell. We sadly mourn our true matriarch. 🙏🏻💜 pic.twitter.com/V5nUaz4N5E — Melody Thomas Scott (@MelodyThomasSco) February 26, 2020

Fellow cast member Sharon Case paid tribute to “the queen of daytime television”.

Lee Phillip Bell, Rest In Peace....Queen of Daytime Television 🙏 https://t.co/4wIueloEF0 — sharon case (@sharonlcase) February 26, 2020