Bill Hayes’ Wife Susan Posts Statement After Husband’s Passing: “May We All Embrace Life With Gusto”

The actress-wife of Bill Hayes, the actor who played the colorful Doug Williams on Days of Our Lives for more than 50 years, has released her first statement since her husband’s passing last week at the age of 98.

On her Instagram account that she shared with her husband, Susan Seaforth-Hayes thanked fans for their support under a vintage black and white shot of the couple.

“To all of you who honored my Billy with a word of remembrance, a sense of personal loss, or even a tear- I thank you,” she wrote. “You touched my heart by seeing in him the goodness and joy I experienced every moment of our wonderful marriage. May we all embrace life with the gusto of Bill Hayes- and enrich it with grace and love ♥️ xx Susan”

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.

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.