- Written by Noor Nanji
- cultural correspondent
image source, Getty Images
Bill Hayes, the American actor who starred on the soap opera Days of Our Lives for more than 50 years, has died at the age of 98.
He first played the role of Doug Williams in 1970, and also met his wife, actress Susan Seaforth Hayes, while filming the series.
Last June, he celebrated his 98th birthday on the set of the American daytime soap opera, surrounded by his co-stars.
His representative told the BBC that he died surrounded by his family on Friday.
His cause of death has not been disclosed.
Born William Foster Hayes III in Harvey, Illinois, in 1925, Hayes began his career as a musician, scoring hits with Davy Crockett’s ballads.
image source, Getty Images
Bill Hayes marries Days of Our Lives co-star Susan Seaforth Hayes
He then began to focus more on acting, and in February 1970 landed his most notable role as a prisoner who was also a lounge singer on NBC’s Days of Our Lives.
He continued to portray the character of Doug Williams on and off for the next 50 years until 2023.
His co-star Seaforth Hayes had joined the daytime soap two years before him, playing the role of Julie Williams.
The two played a couple on screen, but eventually became a real-life couple and married in 1974.
Two years later, when the characters married each other, they went on to say “I do” again – this time on television.
The popularity of their romance also led to them appearing on the cover of Time magazine that year.
In 2018, both he and Seaforth Hayes received the Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Hayes had five children from a previous marriage to Mary Hobbs.
