Share this
John Reilly, a longtime veteran of the soap opera world who also had a long career on several other primetime shows, as well, has died. He was 84 years old.
He died at some point this weekend, according to anĀ Instagram post first published by his daughter, Caitlin Reilly. His cause of death has not yet been announced.
Related: Fitness Guru And Social Media Influencer Dead At 28 After Tragic Cancer Battle
Born in Chicago, Reilly got his start on notable soap operas, includingĀ As The World Turns. His first truly big break came when he played Roy Ralston, the talk show host and J.R. Ewing confidante onĀ Dallas. Eventually, in 1984, he became retired spy Sean Donely onĀ General Hospital ā a role which lasted until 1995 and was arguably his biggest and most well-known character of his career. He returned memorably for the season finale of the showās spinoff series,Ā Night Shift, in 2008, and then later in 2013 again popped up to help celebrate its 50th anniversary on television.
In addition to his work onĀ General Hospital, Reilly also memorably appeared on several major primetime shows of the last several decades, as well. For one, he was Kelly Taylorās absent father onĀ Beverly Hills, 90210. He also had a recurring role onĀ NBCāsĀ Passions,Ā playing Alister Crane after the lateĀ David Bailey.
In 1994, he was also notable for having completed voiceover work in the role of Hawkeye onĀ MarvelāsĀ Iron Man animated series ā so itās clear he had acting chops to portray lots of different characters with different quirks and personalities.
In her post bidding farewell to her father, Caitlin shared a particularly heartwarming and touching sentiment, and one point writing (below):
āJohn Henry Matthew Reilly AKA Jack. The brightest light in the world has gone out. Imagine the best person in the world. Now imagine that person being your dad. Iām so grateful he was mine. Iām so grateful I got to love him. Iām so grateful I made it in time to hold him and say goodbye. I honestly donāt know what Iām going to do, but I know heāll be with me. I love you forever Daddy.ā
Wowā¦
Hereās the full post (below):
Very touching.
Love that picture.
Related: Instagram Influencer Dead Suddenly At Just 36 ā Sadly, She Was Pregnant At The Time
May John Reilly rest in peace after a career well-done and evidently a life well-lived, and may his loved ones find comfort now in the tough times after his passing. Sad, sad stuffā¦
R.I.P.
[Image via Nikki Nelson/WENN]
The post Soap Opera Veteran, Longtime TV Star John Reilly Dead At 84 appeared first on Perez Hilton.