Days Of Our Lives Legend, Bill Hayes, Dead At 98
The absolute legend that is soap opera star Bill Hayes has died at the age of 98. Hayes, who appeared in more than 2,100 episodes of "Days of Our Lives," was part of the long-running series from 1970 until 2023. A representative from the show confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that the beloved actor and crooner died on January 12, 2024.
Something particularly special about his work on "Days of Our Lives" was that Hayes' character, Doug Williams, was married to his real-life wife, Susan Seaforth-Hayes. The two were together for more than 50 years and even earned Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Daytime Emmys together in 2018, per Deadline.
Of Hayes' passing, executive producer Ken Corday told the outlet, "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."
Bill Hayes was the first to sing on daytime TV
On Bill Hayes' 98th birthday, his wife of half a century reminded him that he was the first person to sing on daytime television, according to Deadline. That would come as no surprise to fans of Hayes, who know that what catapulted Hayes to fame was his No. 1 Billboard chart-topper, "The Ballad of Davy Crockett." Per MPR News, the song was released in 1955 and was actually one of three versions that hit the top 10 charts that year.
Davy Crockett was particularly popular that year because Disney released a series about him, per MPR. Perhaps that's why just two years later, in 1957, Hayes released an album entitled "Bill Hayes Sings the Best of Disney." Interestingly, "Davy Crockett" was not one of the songs he recorded.
Likely because of his background as a singer, when Hayes joined "Days of Our Lives," his character was a con man slash lounge singer, per Deadline, hence his singing on daytime TV. Plus, before he became a soap star, he was on Broadway in Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Me and Juliet," according to Variety.