Bill Hayes, the singer and actor who originated Doug Williams on Days of Our Lives, died January 12, 2024, at age 98. Hayes spent more than five decades connected to the series, where his character and his real-life wife, co-star Susan Seaforth Hayes, became central to the Williams-Horton family.
Who was Bill Hayes?
Hayes was born William Foster Hayes III on June 5, 1925, in Harvey, Illinois. He first became nationally known as a singer before building a career that included Broadway and a defining role on daytime television. The Television Academy biography records his birth and passing dates and describes him as a two-time Daytime Emmy-nominated actor.
His career before Doug Williams
Broadway and a hit recording
Hayes made his Broadway debut in the 1953 musical Me and Juliet. In 1955, his recording of “The Ballad of Davy Crockett,” written for ABC’s Disneyland series, topped the Billboard charts, according to the Los Angeles Times. The newspaper did not specify a peak chart position.
Looking back on performing the song in a 2017 interview with Soap Opera Digest, Hayes said, “It was incredible,” as quoted by the Los Angeles Times.
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Doug Williams and a life shared with Susan Seaforth Hayes
Hayes began playing Doug Williams on Days of Our Lives in 1970 and remained associated with the character throughout his life. Forbes reported in 2024 that he had appeared in more than 2,000 episodes as Doug, with his most recent appearance in December 2023; that figure is the publication’s reported tally, not an independently verified episode count.
Hayes and Susan Seaforth Hayes married in real life in 1974. Their characters, Doug and Julie, married on screen in 1976. The show described them as the foundation of the Williams-Horton family for more than 50 years. Executive producer Ken Corday said in a statement reported by the Los Angeles Times, “I have known Bill for most of my life and he embodied the heart and soul of ‘Days of Our Lives,’ ”
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Emmy recognition
The Television Academy identifies Hayes as a two-time Daytime Emmy nominee. TVLine specifies that his nominations came in 1975 and 1976. In 2018, Hayes and Seaforth Hayes received Lifetime Achievement Awards at the Daytime Emmys, a separate recognition from his competitive nominations, according to TVLine.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What was reported about his death?
Hayes died on January 12, 2024, at age 98. TVLine reported at the time that no official cause of death had been released. No cause should be inferred from that account.
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