Days Of Our Lives Star Bill Hayes Dead At 98

The daytime drama world has lost a legend. Bill Hayes, who starred in "Days of Our Lives" for an impressive five decades, has died. After celebrating his 98th birthday on the set of the soap opera in June 2023, the actor passed away on January 12, 2024, surrounded by family; no cause of death has been named. In a statement reported by Variety, "Days" executive producer Ken Corday said, "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."

Not only did Hayes spend a good deal of his career playing Doug Williams on the daytime drama, but he met his second wife there, too. He and Susan Seaforth Hayes, who played Julie Williams, were married in 1974, with their characters following in 1976. Hayes was previously married to Mary Hobbs, with whom he had five children. He is survived by Seaforth Hayes, as well as many of his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Hayes' start in the entertainment industry kicked off in the early 1950s on a fluke, when he went to an audition meant for his brother. He nabbed a part as a singing chorus member for the play "Carousel," and it was love at first note. "I thought, 'Holy mackerel, you can get paid for singing? Acting? Doing stage work?' I had no idea," he recalled to Soap Opera Digest. A long and successful acting career followed.

After getting a taste of showbiz, Bill Hayes decided to pursue it full-time. He followed his stage debut with many other plays, as well as a master's degree in voice. The actor interspersed his theater jobs with on-camera work, appearing in movies including the 1958 version of "Little Women," and 1963's "The Cardinal," and on television like the variety show "Your Show of Shows" in the 1950s. Hayes also proved his singing talents went beyond productions of "Me and Juliet" when his rendition of the song "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" hit the number-one spot on the Billboard charts in 1955. 

Shortly after divorcing from his first wife, the single father joined "Days of Our Lives" in 1970, wanting to spend more time with his children. Susan Seaworth Hayes was already a part of the cast, and sparks flew between the two, culminating in a wedding in 1974. "We got married in our living room. Sixteen people," Hayes told Soap Opera Digest. "Two years later, [our characters] Doug and Julie married, and they used exactly the same words that we used in our living room." 

The two became soap opera royalty and scored the cover of Time magazine in 1976, along with the headline: "Soap Operas: Sex and Suffering in the Afternoon." Hayes was honored in 2018 with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 45th Daytime Emmy Awards. Making the moment even more special, Seaworthy Hayes also received the same trophy.