Bill Hayes, Days of Our Lives’ Doug Williams, Dead at 98
Bill Hayes, a celebrated daytime TV icon who portrayed Doug Williams on Days of Our Lives for more than five decades, has died. He was 98.
“It is with a heavy heart that we share the passing of our beloved Bill Hayes,” the show said in a statement on Friday. “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.”
Adds executive producer Ken Corday: “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.”
Hayes was twice nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for his work on Days, first in 1975 and again in 1976. He and wife Susan Seaforth-Hayes, who also plays his on-screen wife, received Lifetime Achievement Awards at the 45th annual ceremony in 2018. Watch the Emmys’ touching tribute to the couple’s lasting love and careers below:
Though he doesn’t feature on Days as frequently as he used to, Hayes still made sporadic appearances in recent years. His character was even (briefly) possessed by Satan during Days‘ MarDevil redux in 2021.
Days vet Kristian Alfonso, who played Hayes’ on screen daughter Hope, shared on Instagram, “You will forever be in my heart Billy. Thank you for welcoming me, the girl from Boston, with warm open arms on my first day and all of the days that followed, [and] for the love and support you always gave me. How completely blessed I was to work with you, to know you [and] to learn from you. You were a true Icon. My heart is broken.”
In addition to his acting career, Hayes was also an accomplished recording artist. Among his musical successes was a recording of “The Ballad of Davy Crocket,” which topped the Billboard charts in 1955.
An official cause of death was not released.
TV Stars We Lost in 2024
