Thaddeus James "Tad" Martin and Dixie Louise Cooney Martin are fictional characters and a supercouple from the American daytime drama All My Children. Tad is portrayed by Michael E. Knight, and Dixie is portrayed by Cady McClain. On Internet message boards, the couple is often referred to as "T&D" or "TnD" (for Tad and Dixie). The pairing became one of the most prominent soap opera couples on ABC Daytime. In early 2007, controversy abounded when former All My Children head writer Megan McTavish made the decision to kill off one half of the pair — Dixie. Viewers protested against the writers and the ABC television network, demanding that they find a way to undo Dixie's death. However, the character's demise was deemed permanent. To appease fans and make an effort to amend the situation, ABC Daytime executives and McClain confirmed in March 2008 that Dixie would be returning to the series but in the form of a ghost and for a brief time period. McClain's first airdate was May 2, 2008. In April 2011, it was announced that she would be returning to the serial before its September 23, 2011 network ending. Dixie is seen returning on the May 17, 2011 episode, where she is shown to be alive and held captive in an undisclosed location by David Hayward, later managing to escape.