‘Days of Our Lives’ legend Bill Hayes dead at 98

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Bill Hayes, who starred as Doug Williams on Days of Our Lives for more than five decades, has died at age 98.

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“It is with a heavy heart that we share the passing of our beloved Bill Hayes,” a rep for the television series told PEOPLE in a statement. “One of the longest-running characters on Days of Our Lives, Bill originated the role of ‘Doug Williams’ in 1970 and portrayed him continuously throughout his life.”

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The rep added that Hayes and his real-life wife, Susan Seaforth (who played Doug’s spouse Julie on the program), “remained the foundation of the Williams-Horton family spanning more than 50 years.”

Days executive producer Ken Corday mourned the loss of Hayes, telling the outlet that the actor “embodied the heart and soul” of the show.

“I have known Bill for most of my life and he embodied the heart and soul of Days of Our Lives. Although we are grieving and will miss him, Bill’s indelible legacy will live on in our hearts and the stories we tell, both on and off the screen,” Corday said.

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In a separate statement to Variety, Corday called Hayes a “really good role model” and recounted how the Days star helped him deal with his father’s death less than a year after the show debuted on NBC in 1965.

“I had lost my father at a young age and later, Bill came to me and said, ‘If you ever need somebody to talk to, son to father, friend to friend, I’m here for you,’” Corday recalled.

Doug and Julie were immensely popular characters on the sudser and the couple’s wedding, which took place on the series in 1976, was viewed by about 16 million viewers.

“In 1974, Susan and I got married in my living room with 16 people,” Hayes said [per The Hollywood Reporter]. “In 1976, when Doug and Julie got married, we had 16 million people.”

In a 2010 documentary, World by the Tail – The Bill Hayes Story, Hayes spoke about the beginnings of his relationship with Seaforth before they wed in 1974.

“We went to the opera one night and said to each other, ‘Is this a date?’” Hayes reminisced [per Variety]. “I guess we were both falling love.”

Hayes’ former Days co-star Alison Sweeney paid tribute to him in an Instagram post in which she shared a smiling photo of Emmy winner behind the scenes on the set of the show. “The happiness captured in Bill’s expression in this photo is how he was everyday I saw him,” Sweeney wrote.

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Kristian Alfonso, who plays Hope on the show, called Hayes a “true icon” in an Instagram post.

“Thank you for welcoming me, the girl from Boston with warm open arms on my 1st day and all of the days that followed,” Alfonso wrote. “How completely blessed I was to work with you to know you to learn from you.”

Meanwhile, Mary Beth Evans, who portrays Kayla Brady, remembered Hayes as “the sweetest, happiest man around, who always came to set singing a song.”

“Bill and Susan’s real life love story was an inspiration to all of us … they adored each other,” she wrote alongside a clip of Hayes on Instagram.

According to Variety, Hayes’ character will be seen on Days into July.

Corday said that Hayes is “the closest thing to a saint I’ve ever seen.”

“There was a saintly quality Mr. Hayes had. Truly. He is leaving behind a wonderful legacy of love and professionalism and family.”

Hayes is survived by Seaforth Hayes, their five children, 12 grandchildren and 27 great-grandchildren.

mdaniell@postmedia.com

X: @markhdaniell

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