Five Things That Happened On June 16 In Soap History

In 1980, Lori Loughlin made her debut on The Edge of Night as Jody Travis, a role she had played until December 30, 1983. In 2008, the actress, who went on to a prolific career in prime-time television, looked back at her EON days in an interview with Soap Opera Digest, saying, "When I first started on Edge, I was very young when I auditioned. My agent told me to lie about my age and say I was 17. Then during the audition, I was asked how old I was and I blurted out, '15.' I was like, ' Uh-oh.' The casting director went, ' I like you, but you're too young. But I'm going to bring you back anyway.' Then when I went in, the executive producer [Erwin "Nick" Nicholson] asked if I could dance and I lied, 'Sure, I can dance.' I figured they'd just want a little move here and a little move there and that's it.' " She shared that she still kept in touch with Terry Davis, who played April, and was saddened by the loss of another co-star. "My good friend Joel Crothers [ex-Miles] passed away from cancer, which was a heartbreak for me. He was the person I was closest to on that set."

In 1989, Rick Hearst (pictured with Melinda Clarke as Faith Taylor) — a future Daytime Emmy winner for his work as Alan-Michael Spaulding on Guiding Light and Ric Lansing on General Hospital — made his daytime debut on Days of Our Lives as Scotty Banning. In 2015, the actor recalled to Soap Opera Digest, "It was my very first job on television, and to this day, I remember the rush of coming to the studio for my first day. ‘You’re here! You’re going to be on a television show!’ I was so excited, so anticipatory. And I remember how easy it was for me to connect emotionally with the more veteran actors, with Susan [Seaforth Hayes, Julie], with Mac [Carey, ex-Tom] and Frances [Reid, ex-Alice]. The relationship Scott had with Julie stands out to me as incredibly special, so easy and simple. I loved working with Susan.”

In 2000, Hayley Vaughan (Kelly Ripa) and Mateo Santos (Mark Consuelos) wed legally on All My Children. The pair had tied the knot in 1997 in what they thought was a legally binding ceremony, only to subsequently learn that the union was invalid because Mateo was still lawfully wed to his first wife, high school sweetheart Raquel, the mother of his surprise son, Max. Mateo had been under the false impression that his marriage to Raquel had been annulled years prior.

In 2016, Tyler Christopher aired for the final time as Nikolas Cassadine on General Hospital. The beloved star, who passed away in 2023, had originated the role of Laura Spencer and Stavros Cassadine's son in 1996. After leaving the show in 1999, he returned from 2003-11, then came back again in 2013. After wrapping his final Port Charles stint, he moved to Days of Our Lives to portray Stefan O. DiMera, and the role of Nikolas was subsequently recast multiple times.

In 2023, Ned Quartermaine (Wally Kurth) woke up in the hospital on General Hospital after falling into the pool at the Metro Court and hitting his head. The only issue? He believed himself to be Eddie Maine, the rocker alter ego he came up with in the early 1990s! Kurth told Soap Opera Digest that when he found out about the plot twist, "My first thought was, 'Oh, fantastic! That sounds great!' Just because, 'Amnesia? Eddie Maine? That sounds like a challenge! That sounds like something that’s just completely wacky! Let’s see if I can pull this off!' " He added, "I was just excited. And Eddie Maine — that time on the show [when he was first introduced] was so much fun. Not just the music, but the character and the way he looked at the Quartermaines. He got to get out of the suit and tie, literally and figuratively."