Bill Hayes Dies: ‘Days Of Our Lives’ Legend Was 98

Bill Hayes, the actor who played the colorful Doug Williams on Days of Our Lives for more than 50 years, died at 98, according to a statement from the show.

Hayes originated his Days role in 1970 and played the part on and off through 2023. The show’s statement also observed that, “He and his wife, Susan Seaforth-Hayes, remained the foundation of the Williams-Horton family spanning more than 50 years.” Seaforth-Hayes plays Julie Williams on the show. The duo was awarded Lifetime Achievement Awards at the Daytime Emmys in 2018.

Executive Producer Ken Corday said, “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.” 

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Hayes got his start on TV as a singer on Your Show of Shows in the early ’50s. He also made appearances on shows of the era such as Decoy and True Story, as well as a number of TV movies. Even after he got his break on Days, he continued to guest on shows such as Matlock, Hooperman, Cop Rock and Frasier.

A successful singer as well, Hayes’ “Ballad of Davy Crockett” was No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks in 1955 and sold over 2 million copies. On Broadway he starred in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Me and Juliet in 1953.