What Happened To Dawn Lyn? Her Wiki, Illness, Family Life And Many More

Dawn Lyn is an American former child actress who rose to fame as Dodie Douglas in the television sitcom My Three Sons. As Doodie, she appeared in the last three seasons of the sitcom which was aired from 1960 to 1972.

Despite gaining popularity as a child artist, she left the acting world at the age of 15. After that, she was living a low-key life. But recently, she suddenly gained media attention after her news of falling into a coma after brain surgery surfaced in the media. With the news, many of her fans and well-wishers are curious about her illness and her present condition. Is My Three Sons fame actress still in a coma? What had happened to her?

So, today, in this article, we have come up with all the details regarding Dawn Lyn’s health updates. In addition, we will also explore her personal and professional life. Have a closer look.

How Old Is Dawn Lyn Today? Her Parents And Early Life

As of 2023, Dawn Lyn is 60 years of age. She was born Dawn Lyn Nervick to her parents Rik Nervik and Carolyn Stellar on January 11, 1963, in Los Angeles, California, US. Her father Rik was an actor known for Apache (1970), Gunsmoke (1955), and Holiday (2018). Likewise, her mom too was a Hollywood actress and also a costume designer.

Similarly, the celebrity child grew up in her hometown alongside her big brother. Being the child of actors, Lyn also started acting in her very early years. So, she spent most of her early days working as a child artist.

Besides, she belongs to a white ethnical background and is American by nationality.

Her Mother, Carolyn was Diagnosed with Lung Cancer In 2005

Lyn’s mom Carolyn was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2005. Later in 2012, in an interview, Dawn’s brother talked about his mom’s cancer and said,

 She was given six months to a year to live seven years ago now — stage 4 lung cancer out of nowhere. She never smoked a day in her life.

She was battling stage 4 cancer and recently, she died of her ongoing cancer treatment. Once, in an exclusive talk, Lyn’s brother mentioned their parent’s death. He said,

it has already been a difficult time having lost both of our parents and a cousin recently,”

Dawn Lyn’s father Rik Nervik died on August 22, 2019, at the age of 84 while her mom’s death detail is not known.

Siblings: Dawn Is The Younger Sister Of Leif Garrett

Leif Garrett (aka Leif Per Narvik) is the older brother of Dawn. Her only sibling was born on November 8, 1961, which makes him 61 years old in 2023. Just like his younger sister, Leif also began his entertainment career at the young age of five.

As of today, Dawn’s brother has established himself as an actor and musician in the American Entertainment Industry. He is noted for his breakthrough performance as Jimmy Henderson in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, Mike Pusser In Walking Tall in which he worked alongsdie Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, and as Zack Russell In Family.

How Is The Lyn’s Relationship With Her Brother, Leif?

A decade back, Dawn’s relationship with her brother Leif Garrett was not so good. In fact, she was living far from her mother as well. Her brother Garrett revealed her relationship with all the family members in an interview with Channel Guide in 2012. He said that his sister Dawn is upset with the whole family and the brother-sister is not in contact with each other.

In this regard, Leif told,

 I would really like my sister to reconcile with the family, because it’s been split for a long time and that’s really depressing. It bothers me a whole lot.

He further explained the reason why his sister Dawn Lyn is living estranged from her family. He said,

For some reason my sister has it in her head that I am my mother’s champion only.

Now, after almost ten years, we believe that the celebrity siblings have worked it out.

Dawn Lyn Is A Former Child Artist; What Movies Did She Play In?

As aforementioned, she started working in the movie industry when she was just four years old. As a child artist, Dawn made her debut as an American Indian boy in the 1967 western movie, Cry Blood, Apache.

Following her debut, she then appeared as Prudence Everett in the pilot for Nanny and the Professor but due to some reason, she dropped out of her contract. After that, she played her most popular character Dodie Douglas in the family comedy TV series, My Three Sons. With her character Dodie, she then rose to fame and her presence on television went up steadily.

Later, Lyn worked in TV shows like Gunsmoke, Adam-12, Emergency!, Marcus Welby, and many others. She then made her appearance on the big screen. Her movie credits include Shoot out, Walking Tall trilogy, The Exorcist, Devil Times Five, and several others. In 1978, she did her last project as an actor in the episode ‘My Teenage Idol is Missing in the superhero’ of the TV series, Wonder Woman.

Dawn Also Worked As A Voice Actor; Her Later Career

After working for more than a decade as an actor, Dawn left the acting field in 1978. For the next ten years, she completely lived out of the limelight, and in 1990, she started working for Nickelodeon in New York City. She also showed up in The Howard Stern show alongside actress Erin Murphy.

Between 1997 to 2006, she did live voice acting with the Avalon Community Theatre Radio Troupe on Catalina Island. As per IMDb, Lyn also worked as a counselor for child actors and educate them on the pros and cons of the film industry.

Dawn Lyn Married Two Times; Detail On Her Husband   

The 60 years old former actress was married two times. For the first time, she got married in her late 20s. Her first husband was Michael Whitby with whom she tied the knot on December 14, 1990. Dawn was in a marital relationship with Michael for 11 years. The pair divorced on July 20, 2001.

Six years after her separation from her first spouse, she exchanged vows with William John Reese on April 8, 2006. Coming up to 2023, it has been almost 16 years since the couple is leading their married life blissfully. In every ups and downs of life, her spouse is standing strong by her side, even in her today’s condition when she went into a coma after her brain surgery.

Does Lyn Have Children? 

Despite having a celebrity identity, Dawn Lyn always kept her family life out of media access. She also doesn’t like to share her personal life on social media as she doesn’t have an account on any social networking sites. So, regarding her children, there is no further information.

Dawn Lyn Had A Brain Tumor; She Went Into A Coma After Brain Surgery 

In October 2022, Dawn fell into a coma after she underwent brain surgery to remove the tumor in her brain. The news surfaced in the media when her co-stars first revealed about it through their social media accounts. Regarding her condition, her reel brother Stanley Livingston wrote on his Facebook,

Just found out my little TV Sis’, DAWN LYN (Dodie), is in a COMA and fighting for her life. She had surgery recently to remove a brain tumor. Please pray for her to have a swift and full recovery.

He further stated,

I took Dawn out to lunch a couple of months ago. We had a great time reminiscing about our MTS days. Dawn is one of the nicest human beings I have ever known. Thoughts and prayers also go out to her husband, John, at this time. This is devastating news!

In his second post, Stanley gave an update about Lyn’s health and added,

She remains unconscious battling meningitis. Her vitals and brain waves are good. The doctors and nurses are aggressively fighting the bacterial infection. They’re optimistic.

After her health condition was revealed, thousands of Dawn’s fans became increasingly curious about her condition.

Lyn Never Wanted To Reveal Her Illness In The Media

Right after she went into a coma, the news about her illness and surgery emerged in the online portal. But as per her brother Garrett, she never wanted people to know about her brain surgery. In this respect, Dawn’s real-life brother told,

“Since it has been leaked on social media, I would really appreciate everyone’s understanding

He further added,

“Please just keep my sister in your thoughts and prayers and respect our family’s privacy. Thank you.”

Is Dawn Lyn Still In a Coma? 

The veteran actor now has awakened from the coma. While giving her health updates, Livingston wrote on his Facebook on December 9, 2022.

Dawn has awakened from her coma. Her eyes are open and occasionally smiles. She is unable to speak on her own just yet, however, she reacts when spoken to. Thank you all for your good thoughts and prayers.

Stanley also wrote that he contacted Lyn’s husband John to know about her health and as per John,

She continues to gradually improve with various therapies at a highly competent and caring hospital. It won’t be long before Dawn is composing her own messages.

So, looking at this, we can say that the Wonder Woman actress will very soon be healthy.

Dawn Lyn’s Net Worth

She is reported to have a net worth of $5 million as of 2023. She has earned the majority of this amount through her acting career. Lately, she was reported to be working as a  real estate agent from which she surely accumulated a fortune.