‘Days of Our Lives’ Legend Susan Seaforth Hayes to Pay On-Air Tribute to Late Husband and Co-Star: ‘He Deserved To Be Lifted Up’ [EXCLUSIVE]

variety.com:

Rosemary Rossi Life imitated art in the most beautiful of ways when, in 1970, the characters of Julie Olson and Doug Williams met on “Days of Our Lives,” and their real-life counterparts, Susan Seaforth and Bill Hayes fell in love and lived happily ever after, in a marriage that last 50 years, until his death earlier this year.

Now, “Days” and Seaforth Hayes will be paying tribute to the man who once sang to both Julie and Susan that they are “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World.” “Being without Bill is quite a change,” Seaforth Hayes tells Variety. “I really appreciate what the producers have done to honor him — to allow me to give pretty much the same eulogy [on the show for Doug] that I gave [Bill] at our church.

I certainly didn’t expect that. He deserved to be lifted up, and I was so, so pleased that [his death] wasn’t just passed over as something that happened off stage.

It happens very much on stage too. It was difficult to do, but not as difficult as living through it in life.” They 12-tissue storyline rolls out next week, as Julie tends to her ailing husband while, with the show keeps the date of Doug’s death and Julie’s heartbreaking eulogy close to the vest.