Soap star Bill Hayes – best known for his role opposite his real-life wife, Susan, on “Days of Our Lives” – has died.
Hayes passed away Friday in Los Angeles, his rep confirmed to TMZ, although his cause of death was not disclosed.
In 1970, Hayes landed the part of lounge singing scam artist Doug Williams on NBC’s “Days of Our Lives.” Actress Susan Seaforth had already been hired for the soap opera, playing the pampered heiress Julie Olsen Banning Anderson Williams.
Hayes and Seaforth hit it off, getting married four years later on October 12, 1974. The actors also tied the knot on the show – three separate times in fact! — beginning in October 1976.
During their first nuptials on set, the couple read their vows from their real wedding.
In 1976, they became the only daytime drama stars to be featured on the cover of Time magazine for an article titled, “Soap Operas: Sex and Suffering in the Afternoon.”
But, in 1984, the two clashed with producers over storylines, resulting in the pairing down of their popular roles.
Yet, Hayes and Seaforth still appeared on “Days Of Our Lives” even after the show crossed over to the Peacock network in 2022.
Before his legendary soap gig, Hayes was a singer who wrote the 1955 song, “The Ballad of Davy Crocket,” which rocketed to Number 1 on the U.S. charts.
He was also a regular personality on Sid Caesar‘s iconic TV variety series, “Your Show of Shows.”
Bill was 98.
RIP