Days of our Lives icon Bill Hayes passed away on January 12, but due to the soap's long lead time between when episodes are filmed and when they air, Salem won't pay tribute to Hayes and his alter ego, Doug Williams, until late this year.
When news broke that Stephen Schnetzer would be returning to the soap after 45 years to play Julie's brother, Steven Olson, and Gloria Loring would reprise the role of Liz Chandler, fans assumed they'd be back for Doug's funeral. Now, DAYS has confirmed that assumption, with a few more details about what to expect.
"With Bill Hayes' passing, the show is doing a special celebration for the life and memory of the character he portrayed for so many years," a spokesperson for DAYS told Soap Opera Digest. '"Doug William's' funeral is giving us the opportunity to welcome some important and fan-favorite, legacy characters back to Salem, including Gloria Loring, Stephen Schnetzer, and more. The episodes taping this week include Doug's funeral and the historic 15,000th episode. They will not air until December 2024."
Fans hope for other big names to make a return for the special occasion and can't imagine Doug's funeral taking place without his beloved daughter, Hope, there. It remains to be seen if Kristian Alfonso is one of the old DAYS faves we will see, but she expressed her sadness at the loss of her on-screen dad in January.
"You will forever be in my heart Billy," she wrote on Instagram. "Thank you for welcoming me, the girl from Boston with warm open arms on my 1st day and all of the days that followed, for the love and support you always gave me. How completely blessed I was to work with you to know you to learn from you. You were a true Icon. My heart is broken. Love You."
Can you even think of all the people Bill Hayes interacted with over the decades? Who are some old faces who should return for Doug's funeral? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
