In Loving Memory: The Soap Stars We Lost In 2024

In 2024, soap lovers had to say good-bye to many legends of the genre. As the year closes out, Soap Opera Digest takes a look back at some of the incredible performers we lost.

NBC

On January 12, one of the most beloved actors in daytime, Bill Hayes, passed away at the age of 98. He made his Salem debut in 1970 as con man Brent Douglas, better known as Doug Williams. As Doug fell in love with his future wife, Julie Olson, Hayes likewise fell madly in love with her portrayer, Susan Seaforth; the two wed in real life on October 12, 1974. Hayes exited DAYS in 1984, returned from 1986-87 and 1993-94, and after a visit in 1996, he came back from 1999-2003, then returned permanently in 2004. In 2018, along with his wife, Hayes was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Daytime Emmys. In her eulogy for her late husband, Seaforth Hayes said, “He was passionately reaching out to people his whole life’s song, with a song, a story and that look of love, love that transcends time and lifts us all into the light sublime where creation never ends and we all are shining, too. May his love live on to warm you in his light. And oh, how bright is Billy’s light.”

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On January 12, 50-year-old Alec Musser died by suicide in San Diego County, CA. He was familiar to All My Children fans for his 2005-07 run as Del Henry, a role he landed after winning the second season of the SOAPnet reality series I Wanna Be A Soap Star.

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On January 16, David Gail passed away at the age of 58. The actor was known for his work on Port Charles, where he played Joe Scanlon from 1999-2000, Beverly Hills, 90210, where he played Stuart Carson from 1993-94 and Savannah, where he played Dean Collins from 1996-97. The cause was sudden cardiac arrest.

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Robyn Bernard, remembered by General Hospital fans for her 1984-90 run as songstress Terry Brock, died on March 12 at the age of 64 in San Jacinto, CA. Outside of daytime, Bernard, who got her start in the world of entertainment singing gospel alongside her sister Crystal Bernard (Wings), appeared in prime-time series like Simon & Simon and The Facts of Life.

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Meg Bennett, best known to soap fans for her portrayal of Julia Newman, Victor Newman’s first wife, on Young and Restless (1980-84; 1986; 2018; 2020) passed away from cancer on April 11 at the age of 75. The actress got her start in daytime on Search for Tomorrow, where she played Liza Walton from 1975-77, and also appeared on Santa Barbara as Megan Richardson in 1989 and General Hospital as Allegra Montenegro in 2005. Bennett made significant contributions to the world of soaps behind the scenes, as well. From 1983-86, she served as a member of Y&R’s writing team. She was a writer on Bold and Beautiful from 1987-89 and on Generations from 1989-91. In 1991, she moved to SB, where she worked on the writing team through to the show’s cancellation in 1993. For many years on and off, she was also a writer on GH, and from 1997-98, she was the co-head writer of Sunset Beach. Since 2004, she was married to fellow daytime writer Robert Guza, Jr.

CBS

Marla Adams, who won a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in 2021 for her portrayal of Alzheimer’s-stricken Dina Mergeron on Young and Restless, passed away on April 25 in Los Angeles at the age of 85. She made her daytime debut as Belle Clemens on The Secret Storm, where she appeared from 1968-74, and joined Y&R in 1982 as the absentee mother of Jack, Ashley and Traci, a role she played until 1986 and reprised in 1991, 1996, 2008 and from 2017-20. Adams also portrayed Myrna Clegg on Capitol in 1983, Helen Mullins on Generations from 1989-90, Beth Logan on Bold and Beautiful from 1990-91, and Claire McIntyre on Days of Our Lives in 1999,

ABC

A tragic act of violence ended the life of Johnny Wactor on May 25; the 37-year-old General Hospital alum, who portrayed Brando Corbin from 2020-22, was gunned down in Los Angeles when he stumbled upon three men attempting to steal the catalytic converter in his vehicle. Among the many GH cast members who paid homage to Wactor was Sofia Mattsson, whose character, Sasha, was married to Brando, who wrote on Instagram, “My heart is so utterly broken… Johnny was the absolute best. So genuine. So caring. Incredibly hard working and humble. With a huge heart that spread so much kindness and joy. He always made sure everyone around him felt seen, heard and loved. I admire the man he was so much and I’m a better person for having known him. We shared so many special moments, both on and off screen, and I will forever cherish them deeply in my heart. You will be so incredibly missed Johnny… I’m sure you’re already busy taking care of everyone up there ❤️.”

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Doug Sheehan was 75 when he passed away on June 29 in Wyoming. On General Hospital, he portrayed Joe Kelly from 1979-82, and on Knots Landing, he played Ben Gibson from 1983-1988. The late Jacklyn Zeman, whose Bobbie Spencer was romantically linked to Joe, told Digest in 2020, “I really miss him because he was such a doll. The character was perfect for Bobbie and he always knew his lines, always showed up on time.”

JPI

On July 13, fitness guru Richard Simmons, who played himself on General Hospital from 1979 to 1983, and returned in 2013 as part of the show’s 50^th anniversary celebration, passed away at the age of 76. His time on GH helped catapult him to fame and in a 2013 interview with Digest, he made his appreciation for the cast and crew who had helped him feel at home on the set. “Stuart Damon [Alan] and Kin Shriner [Scotty] were so good to me,” he recalled. “I had a very special relationship with Genie Francis [Laura].” He also got along famously with the show’s legendarily tough-as-nails executive producer at the time, Gloria Monty, and noted, “I really loved her and Pat Falken Smith, who wrote. [Monty] was not tough on me, but she helped me focus.” Lynn Herring (Lucy), who worked with Simmons during his 2013 GH comeback, told Digest in 2023, “Richard is truly a pure entertainer and he really wants everybody to laugh and feel comfortable… He was so kind. It was very special to me to have that time with him.”

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Shannen Doherty passed away on July 13 at the age of 53 after nearly a decade-long battle with breast cancer. Early in her career, she played the daughter of DAYS star Deidre Hall (Marlena) on the show Our House, but the actress catapulted to fame when she played the role of Brenda Walsh on Beverly Hills, 90210 from 1990-94, and reprised the character on 90210 from 2008-09 and on BH90210 in 2019.

David Nash

All My Children alumna Esta TerBanche passed away on July 18 at the age of 51 in North Hollywood, CA. From 1997-2001, the South African-born TerBlanche played the Pine Valley role of Gillian Andrassy Lavery and in an interview with Digest shortly before her death, she recalled her time on AMC happily, noting, “The people I worked with were all so wonderful. It was such a privilege to be on the show.”

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John Aprea passed away on August 5 at the age of 83. He was known to daytime fans for his stints on Another World as Lucas from 1989-93 and Alexander Nikos from 1997-98. On prime-time, he recurred on Falcon Crest as Sheriff Jack North and on Knots Landing as Manny Vasquez.

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Ron Hale passed away at the age of 78 on August 27. He first rose to daytime fame as Roger Coleridge on Ryan’s Hope, a role he played for the entirety of the show’s 1975-89 run, though he had played two shorter-term soap roles (Walt Driscoll on Search For Tomorrow in 1969 and Dr. Jim Abbott on Love Is A Many Splendored Thing in 1973) before that. In 1995, he joined the cast of General Hospital as Mike Corbin, Sonny’s father, and he remained in Port Charles until 2010.

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Before he became a massive film star both for his work on camera (Field of Dreams) and for lending his signature voice to roles like Mufasa in The Lion King and Darth Vader in the Star Wars franchise, James Earl Jones, who passed away on September 9 at the age of 93, broke new ground in the word of soaps. In 1966, he appeared on As The World Turns in the role of Dr. Jerry Turner and on Guiding Light as Jim Frazier, characters that were significant because as shamefully rare as it was for soaps to feature Black characters at the time, it was even less common those characters to be portrayed as well-educated professionals, as both of Jones’s were.

Peacock

The soap world was rocked by the passing of Drake Hogestyn on September 28. The 70-year-old Days of Our Lives superstar had been battling pancreatic cancer. In a statement, his family noted, “He was thrown the curve ball of his life when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, but he faced the challenge with incredible strength and determination.” After a short-lived career in professional baseball that was cut short by injury, Hogestyn pivoted to acting, and 1986, he assumed the iconic role of John Black on DAYS. In a statement, the show’s executive producer, Ken Corday, said of Hogestyn, “Hogey was the ultimate team player and there are not sufficient words to express how deeply he will be missed. His impact on our show, personally and professionally, was profound and will forever remain unmatched.”

On October 7, Nicholas Pryor passed away at the age of 89 after battling cancer. After making his soap debut on A Brighter Day in 1958, he went on to appear as Earnest Cooper on Young Doctor Malone, Tom Baxter on Another World, Johnny Ellis on The Secret Storm, Ken Alexander on The Nurses, Lincoln Tyler on All My Children, and Joel Gantry on The Edge of Night. In 1983, he played Anthony Makana on One Life To Live, and from 1997-2003, he played Victor Collins, father of Ryan Chamberlain and Kevin Collins, on Port Charles.

ABC

On November 24, Helen Gallagher, the three-time Daytime Emmy Award-winning actress who portrayed Maeve Ryan on Ryan’s Hope for the entirety of its 1975-89 run, died at the age of 98 in Manhattan. The Brooklyn-born star also appeared in small roles on All My Children, Another World and One Life to Live. Kate Mulgrew, who portrayed Gallagher’s daughter Mary on RH, paid homage to her on Instagram, writing, “Goodbye to my first and only and enduring television mother, the incomparable Helen Gallagher: she was tough, kind, talented, full of laughter, and a triple threat to boot. But always tender towards me. Rest in peace, dear Helen. 🍀”

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Early onset Alzheimer’s claimed the life of Wayne Northrop on November 27 at the age of 77. The actor was best known to soap fans for his portrayal of Michael Culhane on Dynasty and for creating the role of Roman Brady on Days of Our Lives, where he appeared from 1981-84 and 1991-94. From 2005-06, he also portrayed Alex North on DAYS, and from 1997-98, he worked opposite real-life wife Lynn Herring (Lucy Coe) on Port Charles, playing Rex Stanton. “Wayne has always been the Man of my Dreams and now he will always be the Man in my Dreams,” Herring wrote on X (formerly) Twitter after her husband’s passing.

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On December 5, Daytime Emmy-winner Thom Christopher died at the age of 84 after a long illness. His soap career launched in 1975, when he was cast as Noel Douglas on The Edge of Night. In 1977, he portrayed Earl Merrick on Love of Life. After a high-profile run on Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, he returned to daytime in 1990 as mobster Carlo Hesser on One Life to Live and in 1992, after Carlo “died,” he took on the role of Carlo’s meek twin, Mortimer Bern. Christopher reprised Carlo from 1996-97, in 2005 and in 2008. He also appeared on Loving as Dante Partou from 1993-94 and as Colonel Dax on Guiding Light from 1999-2002, 2003 and 2004.