Eva LaRue made a stunning appearance at the 2026 Daytime Emmys on October 30, but the special night was a bit bittersweet for the All My Children star.
“This one means a lot because we just had the memorial for my brother five days ago,” LaRue told TV Insider on the red carpet, referencing her late brother, Louie LaRue, who died in October at the age of 40. “So this Emmys has just been a beautiful, bright light at the end of a really heartbreaking week.”
LaRue expressed “gratitude” at being able to attend the event, adding that she doesn’t “even know how to put words to” what it felt like to be among her peers and longtime friends during a difficult time in her life. “I know that he’s here,” LaRue said. “He’s always been my biggest cheerleader and I know he’s cheering me on.”
The actress, who was nominated for Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series for her role on General Hospital, shared the news of her brother’s death on October 8. “I’m not ready to accept that someone so full of life, with so much more life to live, is suddenly gone at only 40 years old. I cannot wrap my head around it-I am utterly broken,” she wrote.
After singing her younger brother’s praises, she also added, “I was so incredibly lucky to be your big sissy Louie. I desperately wish I could have one more hug, one more laugh, one more moment-but I know you’re needed elsewhere- Heaven needs a new entertainment director and you’re the best in the business! You lit up every room you walked into, now Go LIGHT up the whole damn SKY! And Dad is waiting for you, to welcome you Home.”
Meanwhile, we also caught up with LaRue about her time on CSI: Miami. “[My] character Natalia, she was horrible. Fans hated her, which was tough, because I had just come from a character everybody loved on All My Children,” she admitted. “But it was really fun to play. This is for all you actors out there, up-and-coming, aspiring actors: You never play the bad guy. Nobody ever thinks they’re a bad guy. They think they’re right. If you think you’re right, you don’t have to play bad. You just are.”
She concluded, “It was really nice to place a character outside of my usual wheelhouse. It was a gift.”
—Reporting by Stephanie Sloane
