Legend: In its last episode, Days of Our Lives pays a touching tribute to the late Bill Hayes. Fans say, “It’s the end of an era.”

THURSDAY’S episode of the famous soap opera show was the last time a longtime cast member was seen.Six months after he died, Bill Hayes, 98, made his last TV appearance in an emotional scene with his on-and-off-screen wife, Susan Seaforth Hayes.

Day of Our Lives fans have been watching Bill since 1970, when his character, Doug Williams, was first introduced as a prisoner who also sang in a lounge.Two nominations for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series came his way in 1975 and 1976.

Before 1984, Bill played a regular part on the show. After that, he had recurring roles in 1986 and 1987, 1993, 1994, and 1996.

In 1999, he came back to the show full-time, but Dr. Marlena Evans, played by Deidre Hall, “killed him off” in 2004.

Bill came back to the show after his fake death, and longtime fans were thrilled to see his character, Doug, living happily on a tropical island.