Invoice Hayes useless: TV star of ‘Days of Our Lives’ was 98

Invoice Hayes, who performed the character Doug Williams on the long-running daytime cleaning soap “Days of Our Lives” since 1970, has died. He was 98.

“It’s with a heavy coronary heart that we share the passing of our beloved Invoice Hayes,” a consultant for the Peacock collection advised The Instances in a press release. “One of many longest working characters on ‘Days of our Lives,’ Invoice originated the position of Doug Williams in 1970 and portrayed him repeatedly all through his life. He and his spouse, Susan Seaforth Hayes, remained the muse of the Williams-Horton household spanning greater than 50 years.”

“I’ve identified Invoice for many of my life and he embodied the center and soul of ‘Days of Our Lives,’ ” govt producer Ken Corday stated in a press release. “Though we’re grieving and can miss him, Invoice’s indelible legacy will reside on in our hearts and the tales we inform, each on and off the display screen.”

Hayes died peacefully Friday morning surrounded by household, his consultant Gregory Mayo advised The Instances. “Invoice Hayes meant the world to me — he’s merely one of the best that an individual might ever hope to be. He was not solely a shopper, however a trusted good friend and mentor. Invoice will certainly be missed.”

Born in Harvey, Sick., in 1925, William Foster Hayes III began his profession with supporting stage and display screen roles all through the Fifties. He made his Broadway debut in 1953 in Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Me and Juliet” and later carried out in productions of “Bye Bye Birdie,” “She Loves Me,” “Brigadoon” and “Annie.” His standard model of the catchy track “The Ballad of Davy Crockett,” written for the ABC collection “Disneyland,” topped the Billboard charts in 1955.

“It was unbelievable,” he advised Cleaning soap Opera Digest in 2017 of performing “Ballad” throughout the nation on the time. “Everyone within the viewers would know each phrase within the track. It’s simply that good a track. Everyone within the nation at present nonetheless is aware of it. If I begin singing, they’ll sing together with me. It was fairly a magic experience. It simply took off like a skyrocket.”

Upon ending his first marriage to Mary Hobbs, Hayes was searching for a job that required much less journey so he might take care of his 5 kids. He joined NBC’s “Days of Our Lives” in 1970 as Doug Williams, a convicted con artist turned charismatic lounge singer. He was nominated for Daytime Emmy Awards in 1975 and 1976.

Invoice Hayes and Susan Seaforth Hayes of “Days of Our Lives” in 2018.

(Paul Drinkwater / NBCU Photograph Financial institution / NBCUniversal through Getty Photographs)

Hayes and his spouse, Susan Seaforth Hayes, have been broadly often known as the primary couple of daytime tv, after assembly on set and sharing an on-screen kiss in 1970. They have been then married in actual life in 1974; their “Days” characters have been married in 1976. They fell in love as a result of, as Susan stated of their 1976 Time cowl story, “We began to do love scenes. That was simply in regards to the ball recreation.”

In 2018, each he and Susan obtained Lifetime Achievement Awards on the Daytime Emmys for his or her decades-long performances. They delivered a joint acceptance speech with a musical interlude, jokes about one another’s careers and gratitude for a loyal viewership.

“ ‘Days’ is a present about tales of the center,” stated Susan. “It’s about love tales and Billy and I are thrilled to assume that our love story and a few of our performances are thought-about value remembering.”

“Once we meet the followers all throughout the nation, typically their eyes will properly up with tears on the reminiscences, for our present is as cherished as a household album and we’re a part of their household,” added Hayes. “It’s been fantastic for us. It’s really gratifying.”

“Allow us to proceed giving our viewers the romance that they love a lot plus one thing extra,” he added. “Allow us to create dramas that make our viewers not solely snort and cry, however assume and really feel and know that we care about what they’ve been going via in their very own lives.”