Actor Bill Hayes, who starred as soap opera character Doug Williams on “Days of Our Lives” has died at 98.
Hayes died peacefully Friday morning surrounded by family, his representative Gregory Mayo said, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“It is with a heavy heart that we share the passing of our beloved Bill Hayes,” a representative of the series, now on Peacock, said 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. He and his wife, Susan Seaforth Hayes, remained the foundation of the Williams-Horton family spanning more than 50 years,” the statement said.
Rest In Peace Bill Hayes! I’ve been dreading this moment. You’re always in my heart. From Davy Crockett to the iconic Doug Williams, you’ll always be talked about and alive in our hearts forever. Sending Susan and family lots of love and prayers. pic.twitter.com/Z13BZaDbHh
— ꧁ ꧂ (@SuperKelli24) January 13, 2024
“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,” executive producer Ken Corday said in a statement.
“Bill Hayes meant the world to me — he is simply the best that a person could ever hope to be. He was not only a client, but a trusted friend and mentor. Bill will indeed be missed,” Mayo said.
Long before he came to the soap opera world, Hayes was a singer who sat atop the Billboard charts in 1955 with “The Ballad of Davy Crockett.”
In a 2017 interview with Soap Opera Digest, he said that he enjoyed touring the country singing the song.
“It was incredible. Everybody in the audience would know every word in the song. It’s just that good a song. Everybody in the country today still knows it. If I start singing, they’ll sing along with me. It was quite a magic ride. It just took off like a skyrocket,” he said.
Hayes met his wife, Susan Seaforth Hayes, on the show in 1974. They married in 1974 and then their characters on the show were married in 1976, the LA Times reported.
Hayes and his wife received Lifetime Achievement Awards in 2018 at the Daytime Emmys.
“‘Days’ is a show about stories of the heart. It’s about love stories and Billy and I are thrilled to think that our love story and some of our performances are considered worth remembering,” Seaforth Hayes said then.
“When we meet the fans all across the country, often their eyes will well up with tears at the memories, for our show is as cherished as a family album and we are part of their family. It’s been wonderful for us. It’s truly gratifying,” Hayes said then.
“Let us continue giving our viewers the romance that they love so much plus something more. Let us create dramas that make our audience not only laugh and cry, but think and feel and know that we care about what they’ve been going through in their own lives,” he said then.
The Hollywood Reporter noted that their show characters “went on a cruise” in 1984 after a dispute with the show about storylines, but returned on and off over the years.
The BBC reported that Hayes celebrated his 98th birthday last year on the set of the show.
