Fans say, “It’s the end of an era.”
On Thursday’s episode of the famous soap opera, a longtime cast member made their last appearance.
Six months after his death, Bill Hayes, 98, made his last TV appearance in an emotional scene with his on-and-off-screen wife, Susan Seaforth Hayes.
Fans have been watching Bill on Days of Our Lives since 1970, when his character Doug Williams was first introduced as a prisoner who also sang in a lounge.
He was nominated for two Daytime Emmy Awards, one in 1975 and one in 1976, for Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series.
Bill played a regular part on the show until 1984. After that, he had recurring roles in 1986 and 1987, 1993, 1994, and 1996.
It was back in 1999 as a full-time cast member, but Dr. Marlena Evans, played by Deidre Hall, “killed him off” in 2004.
Longtime fans were thrilled to see Bill’s character, Doug, alive and well on a tropical island after his fake death on the show turned out to be a hoax.
Bill married his on-screen wife, Susan Seaforth Hayes, in October 1974. Since 1968, Hayes has been known for playing Julie Olson Williams.
People thought they were one of the first “super-couples” on TV, and they are the only soap opera characters to have been on the cover of Time Magazine.
Later, Susan was on The Bold and the Beautiful, The Young and the Restless, and Sunset Beach, a soap opera that didn’t last long.
They wrote their autobiography together in 2005, which was called Like Sands Through the Hourglass.
A Lifetime Achievement Award was given to both Susan and Bill at the 45th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards in 2018.
THE LAST BOW
On Thursday, July 11, 2024, Bill made his last appearance on Days of Our Lives.
He had his last scene with Susan, who is both his TV and real-life wife.
In the moving scene, the couple talked about their life together and how much they love each other.
“Did I ever tell you how much I love you?” Sue, who played Julie, asked Doug, who played Bill.
TVLine said that Doug laughed and said, “Nope, you never did.”
“I was a different person now.” “I had to change to earn you,” Doug said.
“Oh, you made me feel great. “I think we’ve been good partners as well as a good team,” Julie said.
“We did a good job together with raising Hope,” he said.
“You’re a great dad.” “For someone who grew up in an orphanage, you’re really family-oriented,” Julie said.
“Never ever let anyone in this family down.” That’s right, you showed me the whole world.
“And after we had our little adventures, saw all the beauty of the earth, our love outlasted time,” she said.
Doug asked, “Now you better give me another kiss.”
Julie said, “No problem.”
The episode aired on Susan’s 81st birthday, which is a big deal.
Susan told TV Insider, “The last scene Billy and I shot together was meant to be a love scene.”
“I was also allowed to add some lines to the scene between us,” she said.
“‘Give me another kiss,’ was the last thing I wrote for Billy. So that’s for the crowd, and that’s from him, she said.
There were pictures of the stars when they were younger in the post. The caption said, “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.”
“You touched my heart by seeing in him the goodness and joy I experienced every moment of our wonderful marriage.”
“May we all live our lives with the zest of Bill Hayes and fill them with grace and love,” she ended with a red heart emoji and “xx Susan.”
IN MEMORY OF
Bill’s last scene and episode have already aired, but he won’t be leaving the long-running soap opera for good.
TVLine says that in December 2024, the “entire town of Salem” will honor Bill’s character Doug.
Bill and Doug, who played Bill on the show, paid their respects to the star on social media. They were both longtime viewers and fans of the show.
“Today is both sad and happy for Bill Hayes fans,” one X user wrote.
“I really want to cry because of what’s going on in our country right now.” Seeing this? “I think it will all come out,” said someone else on Twitter.
“I never met Bill Hayes, nor his loving wife Susan, but I grew up watching them, and it’s like watching some extended part of your family,” said the pair.