For the first time since the passing of her husband, Bill Hayes, “Days of our Lives” star Susan Seaforth Hayes (Julie Williams) has posted a public message of thanks for all the loving and kind words people from all over the world have shared about Bill and how much he meant to them.
In a post on her Instagram page that she shared with her husband, which included a black and white photo collage of the pair taken in a photo booth during their early years together, Seaforth Hayes 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 embrace life with the gusto of Bill Hayes- and enrich it with grace and love.”
Originating the role of Doug Williams on “Days of our Lives” in 1970 and continuing to play the character off and on ever since, Bill Hayes passed away on Friday, January 12, 2024. He was 98 years old.
NBC/Everett Collection
In addition to his starring role on “Days of our Lives,” Hayes also appeared in numerous television shows and movies throughout his career, including “True Story,” “Kiss Me, Kate,” “The United States Steel Hour,” “The Yeomen of the Guard,” “Decoy,” “The Cardinal,” “The Bell Telephone Hour,” “Cop Rock” and “Frasier,” among others.
As a singer, Hayes was well known for his rendition of “The Ballad of Davy Crockett,” which spent five weeks at the top of the music charts in 1955.
Prior to making a name for himself in the entertainment industry, starting in 1941, Hayes began to serve the first of three years in the Navy Air Corps during his freshman year at DePauw University. Following the war, Hayes returned to school, where he double majored in music and English and was a Rector Scholar at the University. Soon after graduating in 1947, Hayes became a regular on “Your Show of Shows,” a popular variety television show at the time.
In 2018, Bill and Susan Seaforth Hayes were dually presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at “The 45th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards.”