Breaking News
General Hospital, As the World Turns & Passions Star, John Reilly, Passes Away At 84
Very sad news to report. John Reilly, beloved by GH fans as Sean Donely, has died at the age of 84.
The news came via Reilly’s daughter, Tik Tok star Caitlin Reilly who posted on her Instagram a photo of herself with her dad expressing: “John 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. I’m so grateful he was mine. I’m so grateful I got to love him. I’m so grateful I made it in time to hold him and say goodbye. I honestly don’t know what I’m going to do, but I know he’ll be with me. I love you forever Daddy.”
No word as to the cause of death at this moment. Soap fans first got their glimpse of Reilly on As the World Turns as Dr. Dan Stewart. But in February of 1984, he made his GH debut as Scorpio’s former WSB boss, Sean Donely. He was eventually paired with Sharon Wyatt’s B-movie star actress, Tiffany Hill.
Later, not only did Reilly appear on NBC’s Sunset Beach, but as Alistair Crane on Passions. Throughout his enduring career he also appeared in roles on: How the West Was Won, Quincy M.E. Dallas, Beverly Hills 90210 and on the digital drama seris, The Bay and General Hospital: Night Shift.
He is survived by his wife Liz and his three daughters.
Below, in honor of John, is one of the all-time classic Sean and Tiffany moments when they say their wedding vows and we learn Tiffany’s real name is …”Elsie Mae Krumholtz”.
Share your remembrances and condolences for John via the comment section.
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Oh how sad, may he rest in peace, love the character, wish his character daughter would come in and represent the Donely. again really sad with his passing, I heard he was a great gentlemen. RIP Mr. Reilly.
What an incredible man both as a real person but as we mostly know him as a great actor who I saw in most of the soaps he was on and jumped when I saw him on nighttime tv. Beautiful write up and 84 today (not Covid) is like 70 still very young. RIP you fabulous man. A great daddy well loved.
My condolences to the family of John Reilly. I loved Sean Donely. I was a devoted watcher in the 80s with Sean, Tiffany, Robert, Anna, Frisco, and Felicia. Those were the good ole days of GH.
I’m heartsick! He was one of my favorites! Loved Sean and Tiffany and Sean and Robert and Sean and Anna’s chemistry. Great memories! He will be missed!
He was so handsome and part of GH when it was the best show on TV.
I am so very sorry to hear this news. I loved him on General Hospital and remember his many appearances in episodic television. May he rest in peace.
Sorry to hear of John’s passing. MF thank you for including the film clip of Sean and Tiffany’s wedding. It shows why John and his screen pals were why so many of us feel he was part of the best days of GH.
my sympathy
Him and Scorpio were the best! Oh, the 1980’s! Rest John.
Just 2 weeks ago, Mr. Reilly sent me down a nostalgia path. I had turned on the TV and his very young face instantly appeared on the screen (a Gunsmoke episode). I looked up his imdb page that day and saw a large portfolio of work. Then I googled the famous Sean and Tiffany gh wedding scene for laughs. Two weeks later and I’m learning about his death. My prayers are with his family. He seemed like he was such a gentleman.
Carrie…really nice comment. Very personal.
Remember him so well. That was back in the days when GH was THE show to watch. Sad to hear of his passing.
Breaking News
George Cheeks, CBS President & CEO, on Timeline to Launch New Daytime Drama, ‘The Gates’: “We’re So Focused on Getting it Right”
March 2024 will be remembered in the TV and soap world when the news broke that CBS is prepping a brand new daytime drama. Many had thought a major network would never bring a new daytime soap into the world, given that the last time it was attempted was 25 years ago when the now defunct Passions bowed on NBC.
However, The Gates is definitely in development and moving forward with some major players associated with it including: Michele Val Jean as The Gates writer, showrunner and one of its executive producers, and Sheila Ducksworth from NAACP Venture
Now, for the first time since its announcement, George Cheeks, the president and CEO of CBS and chief content officer for news and sports at Paramount+, spoke on the project that will feature a Black family as its central focus who live in a wealthy gated community.
Speaking with Vulture, and when asked if The Gates is really something that truly has a chance of getting on the air, Cheeks clarified, “It’s super real. And just to give you a little bit of the backstory, when we hired Sheila Ducksworth to run the NAACP Venture, she and I had multiple meetings talking about what different genres she was going to lean into, and we talked a lot about daytime.”
Cheeks added, “One of the things that the data made very clear to both of us is that daytime soap operas over index with Black women, and yet when you look at soap operas, it’s usually sort of a white-led family with supporting characters that reflect more of our society. So we just thought, wouldn’t it be interesting to flip that and make the core anchor family a Black family, and then make the other characters reflect more the broader scope of society?”
The CEO gave props to Michele Val Jean, and how Ducksworth came to the table with the former B&B and GH writer. “She found this great writer, Michele Val Jean, who’s been in the soap opera space for 30 years. She came up with a pitch, and we loved it,” shares Cheeks. “We brought Procter & Gamble into it as well, because if there were going to be (product) integrations, we could do it more holistically and organically. All of that is to say, we did a lot of work on the front end to put this together. So while yes, it’s development, it’s accelerated development.”
When prodded on the timeline of when The Gates could come to full fruition, Gates related, “The actual timeline and when we’re going to do it is still uncertain, because we want to get this right. I mean, there hasn’t been a new soap opera launch since I can’t even begin to tell you when. But we have great success with Bold and the Beautiful and Young and the Restless, and so we think we’re the right folks to be launching a new soap. I wish I could tell you more about exact timing, but we’re so focused on getting it right, and that will dictate when we’re ready to launch it.”
The CBS exec also shared that whether The Gates will wind up an hour soap or half-hour is not yet determined, but that it is being developed as an hour show.
So, after reading what George Cheeks, the CBS President & CEO had to say about ‘The Gates’, are you even more excited for what looks to the first new network soap in 25 years? Comment below.
Breaking News
Robyn Bernard, ‘General Hospital’s’ Terry Brock, Dead at 64
Breaking News
51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards Announce Broadcast Date on CBS
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) revealed on Tuesday, that the 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be broadcast live on Friday night, June 7th (8 – 10 PM, ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network, and available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+*.
This year will mark the 18th time CBS has broadcast the Daytime Emmy Awards, which is more than any other network.
The 2024 Daytime Emmys will take place at the Westin Bonaventure in downtown Los Angeles. Back in December of 2023, the delayed 50th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards were also held at that venue. The June 7th date for the upcoming ceremony will be the first time in several years that the event is scheduled a few weeks earlier than normal; excluding last year’s revised date to the actors and writers strikes.
Lifetime Achievement honoree, nominations, host, and additional information will be announced in the coming weeks.
In a statement, Adam Sharp, President and CEO of NATAS noted, “We eagerly anticipate our return in June as we once again partner with CBS to recognize the exceptional and talented individuals who make daytime television great. We’re thrilled to kick off our second half-century of the Daytime Emmys.”
The Daytime Emmy Awards have recognized outstanding achievement in television programming and crafts since 1974, honoring work in a variety of categories, including daytime dramas, talk shows, instructional programming, hosting, culinary, and legal/courtroom programs. In 2021, NATAS and the Television Academy jointly announced plans to realign the Daytime and Primetime Emmy Awards to be organized by content genre, as opposed to program airtime.
The 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards will once again be produced by NATAS and Associated Television International (ATI), which produced Daytime Emmy Award ceremonies on The CW in 2009 and on CBS in 2010, 2011, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023. Adam Sharp and Lisa Armstrong are executive producers from NATAS, while David McKenzie is executive producer from ATI.
So, glad to know that the 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards honoring performance and shows in the 2023 calendar year, will be held in early June this year, and once again broadcast on CBS? Comment below.
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