Greg Rikaart Debuted On Young and Restless As Kevin And Other Events From July 11 In Soap History

In 1980, Before General Hospital’s Luke (Anthony Geary) could marry Jennifer Smith, Scotty (Kin Shriner) tracked him down and physically attacked him for raping Laura, who was then married to Scott. Luke tumbled off the yacht — sending Luke on the run with Laura. Shriner recalled to Soap Opera Digest in 2015, "I remember that like it was yesterday.... For some reason, we were very, very proud of that fight scene. Tony and I used to always battle and that was the ultimate down and dirty fight because at the end of the day, I had to knock him off the boat — and I also knocked him into the biggest storyline of his life!"

In 1986, Mason’s (Lane Davies) love, Mary (Harley Jane Kozak), was crushed by the falling “C” from the Capwell Hotel sign on the building’s roof on Santa Barbara while she was arguing with her husband, played by future General Hospital and Beyond The Gates star Jon Lindstrom. Playing that out, Davies told Soap Opera Digest in 2015, "was challenging because the circumstances were absurd. When the love of your life gets crushed on a hotel roof by a giant letter C, there's a certain level of absurdity. But as an actor you can't play it for laughs. To play it for real was a challenge."

In 2002, Guiding Light's Reva (Kim Zimmer, l.) turned off Jeffrey’s (Bradley Cole) life support system. At the time of his death, he was married to Reva's half sister, Cassie (Laura Wright). Richard had been gravely injured in a car accident and subsequently suffered a catastrophic stroke, and he indicated to Reva that he wanted her to euthanize him.

In 2003, Greg Rikaart (Leo, Days of Our Lives) made his Young and Restless debut as Kevin Fisher. In 2004, the actor enthused to Soap Opera Digest that the role was "a perfect fit,” even though Kevin was, at the time, something of a sociopath. Rikaart explained, “He’s far removed from who I am, but this character exists within all of us. We can be good people, but we get jealous, envious, manipulative ... Kevin doesn’t have an edit button. He has issues and problems controlling his emotions.” Rikaart was awarded the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in 2005 for his portrayal of Kevin.

In 2024, Bill Hayes, who made his Salem debut as Doug Williams in 1970, aired for the final time on Days of Our Lives. In the episode, the actor shared poignant scenes with his real-life and on-screen wife, Susan Seaforth Hayes (Julie) in which Julie told her beloved husband, "First time I set eyes on you, I was lost. Then, all the trials we had, all those missed connections, and then I finally won the gold ring. And all your songs were for me. All your passionate kisses were mine.” Mused Doug, “Well, I had become a new man. I had to change to deserve you." The actor passed away on January 12, 2024.