‘Days of Our Lives’ Bill Hayes Dead

Bill Hayes has died at 98 years old.

As an actor, he was best known for playing Doug Williams on Days of Lives. He took on the role of Doug — introduced as a convicted con artist and lounge singer — in 1970 and continued to appear on the soap until his death.

The show announced the loss of the tenured actor in a statement: “It is with a heavy heart that we share the passing of our beloved Bill Hayes. 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.”

“I have known Bill for most of my life and he embodied the heart and soul of Days of our Lives, Days‘ executive producer Ken Corday added in a statement. 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.”

For his portrayal of Doug, Hayes was twice nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series, first in 1975 and then again in 1976. He later received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2018 Daytime Emmys.

Some of his other acting credits include The Cardinal, Stop, You’re Killing Me, Frasier and Matlock. Additionally, he starred as Larry in the Broadway musical Me and Juliet.

Prior to acting, Hayes was a recording artist. His rendition of “The Ballad of Davy Crockett” sat at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 charts for several weeks straight and was awarded a gold disc. He was also a singer on the variety show Your Show of Shows.

In June, Hayes celebrated his 98th birthday on the set of Days of Our Lives. He enjoyed a personalized double chocolate cake with his costars and the show’s crew.

The actor is survived by his wife Susan Seaforth Hayes, 79, who also played his onscreen wife Julie on Days of Our Lives. They tied the knot in 1974, with their characters marrying on the show just two years later. 

“I’d been on [Days of Our Lives] since 1968, but I was no more important to it than anyone else until Bill came onto the show and into my life,” Seaforth told Variety in 2018.

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Before his marriage to Seaforth, Hayes was married to Mary Hobbs from 1947 to 1969. They shared five children together.