Bill Hayes was a singer who scored a number one hit in 1955 with “The Ballad of Davy Crockett,” then went on to play recurring character Doug Williams on the TV soap “Days of Our Lives” for over 50 years.
- Died: January 12, 2024 (Who else died on January 12?)
- Details of death: Died at the age of 98.
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Bill Hayes’s legacy
Born in Harvey, Illinois, Hayes’ life almost took a much different course. In 1943, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy Air Corps and spent 27 months training as a fighter pilot – but the war ended two weeks short of his first scheduled mission in the Pacific, and Hayes returned home. He finished his degree at DePauw University, then went into the music industry.
Hayes was a regular on “Your Show of Shows,” a popular variety program of the time featuring Sid Caesar (1922– 2014) and Imogene Coca (1908–2001). He also recorded pop music and during the Davy Crockett fad in 1955, his version of “The Ballad of Davy Crockett” proved to be the most popular one. It surged to No. 1 on the Billboard charts, spending five weeks at the top and selling over two million copies. He had another minor hit two years later with “Wringle, Wrangle.”
By the 1960s, Hayes decided to focus on dramatic acting. He made his debut on “Days of Our Lives” in 1970 and would continue appearing on the show for the next 53 years. Playing the ex-con lounge singer Doug Williams, his talents as a stage entertainer were often used in the show. He also met his wife, Susan Seaforth Hayes, on the set in 1974. The pair were a couple both on screen and off.
Hayes was nominated for Daytime Emmys in 1975 and 1976, won Actor of the Year in the 1977 Soapy Awards, and won Best Actor in the Daytime TV Magazine readers’ poll four times between 1973 and 1978. In 2018, the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences presented Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth Hayes with Lifetime Achievement Awards. A 2017 documentary, “World by the Tail,” chronicles his life, as does the joint autobiography written with his wife, “Like Sands Through the Hourglass.”
Tributes to Bill Hayes
Full obituary: The Hollywood Reporter
