By ETonline Staff
2:57 PM PST, January 18, 2024
Hollywood has said goodbye to several beloved public figures and influential icons of culture. Click through the gallery for more on the lives and legacies of the stars we have recently lost.
Bill Hayes
Bill Hayes, the beloved soap star who was a staple on Days of Our Lives, died on Jan. 12, 2024. He was 98.
"It is with a heavy heart that we share the passing of our beloved Bill Hayes," a statement from his rep to ET read.
"One of the longest running characters on Days of our Lives, Bill originated the role of Doug Williams in 1970 and portrayed him continuously throughout his life," the statement continued. "He and his wife, Susan Seaforth-Hayes, remained the foundation of the Williams-Horton family spanning more than 50 years."
Alec Musser
Alec Musser, the actor known for his work on All My Children, died on Jan. 12, 2024. He was 50.
Musser's fiancée, Paige Press, revealed the news on Jan.13, 2024 via Instagram, alongside a series of pictures of her and Musser.
"RIP to the love of my life," Press wrote. "I will never stop loving you. My heart is broken."
Lynne Marta
Lynne Marta, who starred in Footloose, Joe Kidd and more, died on Jan. 11, 2024. She was 78.
A friend of the star confirmed the news of her death with The Hollywood Reporter, sharing that she had suffered from cancer.
Marta played the aunt of Kevin Bacon's character in Footloose (1984), the companion of Robert Duvall's character in Joe Kidd (1972), and a school teacher in Three Men and a Little Lady (1990). On TV, she served as a regular on Love, American Style and appeared in 24 episodes of Days of Our Lives. She had roles on Starsky & Hutch, Charlie's Angels, Designing Women, and Law & Order, among many others. Her final on-screen credit came in 2004 when she played an attendant on American Dreams.
Christian Oliver
Actor Christian Oliver, who starred in such movies as Speed Racer, The Good German and Valkyrie, was killed along with his two daughters when their small plane crashed into the sea off a Caribbean island on Jan. 4, 2024. He was 51.
The owner and pilot of the plane, identified as Robert Sachs, also died in the crash.
According to the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force, Oliver and his daughters, Madita Klepser, 10, and Annik Klepser, 12, were on board the single-engine plane when it took off from J.F. Mitchell Airport in Becquia and headed for nearby St. Lucia before it experienced difficulties and landed in the ocean.