Bill Hayes, 'Days of Our Lives' star, dies

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Honorees Bill Hayes (L) and Susan Seaforth Hayes accept the Lifetime Achievement Award onstage during the 45th annual Daytime Emmy Awards at Pasadena Civic Auditorium on April 29, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by JC Olivera/WireImage)

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Actor Bill Hayes, a longtime "Days of Our Lives" cast member, has died, according to several reports.

His agent told BBC that Hayes, 98, died Friday surrounded by family.

"It is with a heavy heart that we share the passing of our beloved Bill Hayes. One of the longest-running characters on Days of our Lives, Bill originated the role of ‘Doug Williams’ in 1970 and portrayed him continuously throughout his life," a spokesperson for ‘Days of Our Lives’ told PEOPLE on Friday.

Hayes remained in the role of Doug Williams, a "colorful" convict and lounge singer, off-and-on through 2023. He met his wife, Susan Seaforth-Hayes, on set and shared an on-screen kiss with her in July 1970. Four years later, they married in real life, People reports, then had a second wedding on-screen in 1976 when their TV characters tied the knot. The same year, they appeared together on the cover of Time magazine.

Bill Hayes (L) and Susan Seaforth Hayes attend the 45th annual Daytime Emmy Awards at Pasadena Civic Auditorium on April 29, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Phillip Faraone/WireImage)

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"He and his wife, Susan Seaforth-Hayes, remained the foundation of the Williams-Horton family spanning more than 50 years," the ‘Days of Our Lives’ statement continued.

In 2018, Hayes and Seaforth-Hayes, who played Julie Williams on the show, were honored with the Daytime Emmys’ Lifetime Achievement Award.

Hayes was born in Harvey, Illinois, in 1925, and got his start as a musician with a hit song, "The Ballad of Davy Crockett," BBC reports.

He is survived by Seaforth-Hayes and his son William Foster Hayes IV.

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