yr michelle stafford phyllis red dress emmys
Credit: Image: Elizabeth Goodenough/Courtesy of the Everett Collection

The Emmy winner took to Instagram to pay tribute to the late, great Diana Rigg.

It wasn’t just the kingdoms of Games of Thrones that mourned when Dame Diana Rigg, who played the shrewd Lady Olenna Tyrell on the HBO series, died on September 10. So did The Young and the Restless’ Michelle Stafford (Phyllis); she hit social media to hail the Emmy winner as “one of the first of the badass female actors!”

More: Young & Restless’ Michelle Stafford shares family photo

If you have a chance,” Stafford added, “you should watch her in The Avengers,” the late 1960s spy yarn in which she played brilliant butt-kicker Emma Peel. “She is one of my acting idols, and she passed today.”

the avengers diana rigg

Stafford’s adoration of Rigg, who also played Mrs. James Bond in the 1969 007 movie On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, dates back ages. “When I was younger, I used to watch The Avengers with my dad before we went to church,” she Instagrammed. “Kinda weird juxtaposition… but nonetheless, I wanted to be her. She was amazing!” (Judging from the selfie that Stafford added to her post, she would have made a grand Rigg — that pose is 100 percent pure Emma Peel.)

Although it is, of course, heartbreaking to know that we’ve lost Rigg, there’s a strange silver lining amid the dark clouds, owing to her work as the Queen of Thorns, for which she was Emmy-nominated three times for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series. (Her victory was for her portrayal of malevolent maid Mrs. Danvers in PBS’ 1997 Rebecca adaption). As Stafford pointed out, “The cool thing is that a whole new generation has been introduced to her in Game of Thrones as Olenna.”

More: Young & Restless’ all-time greatest characters, ranked

Rather than focus on show business’ — and all of our — loss today, perhaps you’d prefer to review our rankings of The Young and the Restless’ all-time greatest characters. To check ’em out, just click on the photo gallery below. Also, get your free daily soap opera fix for Young and the Restless, and all the other soaps, delivered to your email inbox by signing up for Soaps.com’s newsletter.