Days Of Our Lives' Tamara Braun Bids Farewell To Ava Vitali

"Days of Our Lives" fans have come to love actress Tamara Braun. The soap star has played two roles on the show, portraying Nicole Walker's sister, Taylor Walker, as well as her most well-known role, Ava Vitali. Fans first met Ava in 2011 when she was revealed to be one of Steve "Patch" Johnson's former love interests (via Soap Central). Ava was described as being the daughter of a powerful mob boss. The mafia princess met and fell in love with Steve when he suffered from amnesia. The two were together for a couple of years and even had a child together, which they believed had died. The pair learned that their baby had survived and found their son, Tripp, many years later.

Over the years, Ava has been both loved and hated by many in Salem. She has done some truly despicable things such as sabotaging a plane that led to a crash and the death of Shawn Brady Sr. She's also attempted to kill others, kidnapped many, and has tried to come between Steve and Kayla too many times to count.

Most recently, fans have seen Ava become a loving mother to Tripp, and even fall in love with Jake DiMera (Brandon Barash) before his untimely death, per Soaps in Depth. She's also found herself in the middle of some heavy drama with EJ DiMera (Dan Feuerriegel).

Recently, "Days of Our Lives" viewers have seen Ava Vitali go back to evil roots when she had EJ DiMera's mother, Susan Banks (Stacy Haiduk). Ava also began to have visions of her dead son, Charlie Dale, proving she was losing her grip on reality, per Soaps in Depth. Things got so out of control that Ava ended up driving over a cliff with Susan in tow. Ava survived but continued to torment EJ by setting off a bomb in the middle of Susan's funeral. Many Salemites were injured during the event, and Ava was revealed to be in the middle of a mental health crisis. She was then sent off to Bayview Sanitarium for treatment. Bayview is a place that fans know well, as other characters like Abigail Deveraux DiMera, Claire Brady, and Ben Weston have all spent time there.

Now, Ava is leaving Salem for the foreseeable future, and Tamara Braun is speaking out about her departure. "If you want to see Ava off, tune into DOOL today for her last day in Salem," Bruan wrote via Instagram. "Thought I'd share some of my memories from the last (almost) two years. Thanks for all the love and support you continue to show me. I will miss you all!!" she added in the caption of the post.

Of course, soap fans know that no character is truly ever gone forever. This means Ava could pop up again in the future.