Remembering Bill Hayes, actor and long-time TV star

Bill Hayes, a pivotal figure of day-time television passed away at the age of 98.

Hayes was probably best known for his portrayal of Doug Williams on Days of Our Lives since 1970, appearing in over 2,100 episodes of the show. The role of the former con artist-turned-lounge singer became one of the longest-running characters in the show’s history.

Hayes was born in Harvey, Illinois, in 1925. Before becoming an actor, he started a career of a musician and a performer, reaching a Billboard chart-topping hit with The Ballad of Davy Crockett in 1955.

In 1953, Hayes had his Broadway debut in Me and Juliet and over the course of a decade he appeared in a number of productions.

By 1970, Hayes, a divorced father of five, was hoping to land a role closer to home when he joined the cast of Days of Our Lives, a decision that would define his career and endear him to millions of viewers.

It was on set that he met the great love of his life, actress Susan Seaforth, who played Julie Williams. Their on-screen chemistry translated into real life and the two tied the knot in 1974. They stayed together until Hayes’ passing.

Speaking of the instant connection they felt when they laid eyes on each other, Seaforth once said, “I’d seen enough to know that he was special.” Others could also see their unexplained connection. “We had a scene together shortly after meeting, and the head writer saw something going on between the two of us, just two people looking at each other, and he threw out the other plot lines he had for our characters,” she added.

Hayes and Seaforth Hayes were both honored with Lifetime Achievement Awards at the 2018 Daytime Emmys for their enduring contributions to television. The couple’s acceptance speech was heartfelt, with Bill expressing gratitude for the fans who considered them part of their own lives.

Honoring Hayes, a representative for the Peacock series told The Times in a statement, “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. He and his wife, Susan Seaforth Hayes, remained the foundation of the Williams-Horton family spanning more than 50 years.”

“I have known Bill for most of my life and he embodied the heart and soul of ‘Days of Our Lives,’” executive producer Ken Corday said in a statement. “Although we are grieving and will miss him, Bill’s indelible legacy will live on in our hearts and the stories we tell, both on and off the screen.”

In addition to his iconic role on Days of Our Lives, Bill Hayes had other notable television appearances, including roles in Matlock and Frasier. During the 1950s and 60s, he featured in TV adaptations of popular musicals such as Kiss Me, Kate and Once Upon a Mattress. He also portrayed John Brooks in the 1958 TV movie Little Women.

The cause of Hayes’ death hasn’t been disclosed with the public.

Rest in peace, legend.

The mom who stabbed her baby to death is found dead in prison

Six years into her 17-year-long sentence for stabbing her baby with a pair of scissors, Rachel Tunstill dies in prison.

Back in 2017, she stabbed her baby girl, Mia Kelly, more than 15 times in the bathroom of their Burnley home and threw her lifeless body in a bin.

Tunstill was initially convicted of murder and handed a life sentence with minimum term of 20 years, but a re-trial proved the jury in the case should have been offered a verdict of infanticide to consider. During the re-trial she was once again convicted of murder and put behind bars for a minimum of 17 years.

“HMP Styal prisoner Rachel Tunstill died in custody on 1 August 2023. As with all deaths in custody, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will investigate,” a spokesperson from the Prison Service confirmed the news of her passing.

At the time she gave birth, her boyfriend was playing video games in the next room. She then told him she had a miscarriage and asked for the scissors after which she remorselessly stabbed the baby to death.

At the time of sentencing, the judge, Mr Justice King, said: “This must have been a sustained and frenzied attack on a victim who because of her age was particularly vulnerable. Her duty to her newborn baby was to cradle and comfort her – not to stab her to death.

“There was here in my judgement concealment of the body, albeit short-lived and in addition there was undoubtedly the indignity which was wrought upon the body by disposing of it in the way she did.”