Bill Hayes, who starred in the soap opera “Days of our lives” since 1970, five years after the show’s debut, died on Friday. He was 98.
Hayes played the character of Doug Williams on the daytime serial and that was where he met his wife, actress Susan Seaforth, on the series set in the fictional Illinois town of Salem.
Hayes and Seaforth were married in 1974. Two years later, their characters were married on the show.
“I have known Bill for most of my life and he embodied the heart and soul of ‘Days of our Lives,’ ” said executive producer Ken Corday.
“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.”
Hayes earned two Daytime Emmy nominations for his work on the show in 1975 and 1976.
Hayes and Seaforth-Hayes earned lifetime achievements from the Daytime Emmy Awards in 2018.
Born in Harvey, Ill., Hayes, a singer and dancer, made his Broadway debut in the Rodgers & Hammerstein tuner “Me and Juliet” in 1953, according to SoapCentral.com.
He also did national tours of such stage musicals as “Bye Bye Birdie,” “Student Prince,” “Anything Goes,” “Camelot,” and “The Pajama Game,” according to SoapCentral.
