Dixie Cooney is a fictional character from All My Children, an American soap opera on the ABC network. The character was initially portrayed by actress Kari Gibson from her debut in July 1988 until October of that year when she was replaced by actress Cady McClain who portrayed the role for the rest of the character's existence. The character's initial run lasted from July 1988 to May 2, 1996; she appeared again from July 3, 1998 to February 26, 2002, and from December 23, 2005 to January 31, 2007, when the character was killed. The decision to kill the character in 2007 attracted much criticism and controversy, with TV Guide being dismayed by the choice and calling her the heart and soul of the show. McClain returned to the series May 2, 2008, playing the character as a ghost. The return lasted through June 12, 2008. McClain again returned briefly to All My Children from March 4, 2010 through April 20, 2010. On April 25, 2011, it was announced that McClain would reprise her role of Dixie full-time on a contract basis as a series regular beginning in the spring of 2011. Her first airdate was May 17, 2011 and she played the role until the final televised episode on September 23, 2011. On February 7, 2013, McClain announced on her website that she would be reprising her role as Dixie on Prospect Park's online continuation of the show.