Sad to see Stefano go. They should have kept him alive like B&B did with Sally.

Hope this is the end of the deaths on Days. Days of Our Dead.

Of course Stefano fans will miss him but if the actor is not healthy, he needs to stay home and take care of himself and enjoy his final days. He certainly isn’t getting any younger. RIP Stefano! I just wish that they could have done it a bit different, but oh well.

Wonderful actor. He will be truly missed. I hope enjoys his retirement. Bless you Joe Mascolo!

I hope that it isn’t so! I know that Joe has been fighting health issues ;however, I am also hoping that if he has to leave , some part of the DiMera family will remain in Salem because the show won’t be the same. A character such as Joe’s is needed to keep the show in flames. Chad would have to change into a person as Pacino did in the Godfather to become a true DiMera which at the moment he’s not.
I’m the type of person who believes that no matter who your family is , one should remain loyal to that family. Chad nor E.J. has those qualities. Therefore, the writers need to many Tony the man.
Out of all I’ve said, Joe Mascolo , I’ll miss your presence on the show. Plus, I hope that the Phoenix will rise again if that’s what you want. You’re the only one to know whether or not your health will permit you to continue to work. May God bless you!

Always enjoyed seeing the character of Stefano on Days!! Enjoy retirement Mr. Mascolo! Will miss you:(

I will truly miss him! He is a wonderful actor and has been such a huge part of DOOL. I have been watching for 48 years and he really added some great stories when he joined the soap. Enjoy retirement!

I know the Phoenix is gone but I can’t believe he won’t rise again.. Joseph Mascolo, you are unforgettable and irreplaceable.. Enjoy your retirement. It is well earned.

DOOL just keeps getting worse. Not sure if they can pull it out of this downward spiral. Death, doom, and gloom. Kids that noone recognizes or cares about. The best actors leaving the show. I will be next to go unfortunately. Instead of it being a joy to tune in, it has turned into an utter bore fest focusing on death.

His final scenes were amazing. I gasped when he laughed after being shot the first time. I’d love to know if that was scripted or his choice.

We will definitely miss him and I wish him the very best. He was the main villian that we all loved to hate. Although NO ONE will ever be as good as Joe Mascolo, we need Stefano DiMera’s in dool. No one can ever replace our Stefano DiMera (Joe Mascolo). 🙁

of all the actors on Days he was my favorite and i will miss him wish he didn’t have to leave . hope his health improves there will never be anyone that could replace him

They should’ve had him ride off with more of a bang and had him pulling the strings from Dimera Island and keep his memory alive aka Sally on bold and beautiful. But to have Hope kill him?? Should’ve been his Queen of the Night, Marlena. Days is awful.

Farewell Stefano Dimera !!!!!! Salem will never be the same.

Another DT legend you would have to consider if you were etching out Mount Rushmore. I hope he can enjoy his time left with his family.

You sir, will FOREVER be an icon! You will most assuredly be missed. The one reason I watched the show is because we love to hate you…May the Phoenix rise again…God Bless

Phoenix will rise again,you can not let adre run the Demira family business…..

Stefano will truly be missed. Joe Mascolo you were a great actor and I enjoyed watching your stories. Sorry your not feeling well. But hope one day we can be surprised by a visit.

Joe was my favorite actor on Days. Will miss seeing him on the show but his health is more important. Best wishes to Joe on his retirement. He definitely was a character you loved to hate, but I can say I never hated him. Awesome he was.

I am going to miss Stefano .

Truly one of the best villains on television. I watched Stefano do battle with Roman Brady in the 80’s, John Black in the 90’s, and The Brady Dimera fuel in 2007. Now to see his final curtain call, I am in disbelief, but knew it had to happen someday. What a great character and what a great actor.Thank you Mr. Mascolo.

Love the actor. I hope his health battles get better. But ENOUGH Stefano already. Move on! The man is in his 80’s, at some point he would get tired of murdering people and causing grief and misery to everyone around him!

JM is a good actor, but he’s no McDonald Carey who truely was the heart (and voice still is) of Days.! Let the 87 year old man take care of his health and God willing be able to make future appearances now and then.

He is the man you love to hate. A great actor. All the best to you, Joseph.

I have been watching Days for almost 50 years now and loved Stefano’s character. He is a great actor who will be missed no matter what they do or who they bring in to some sort of replace him. The best is he is Italian and that makes my day because I am also. Love you Joe, God Bless and I wish you Good Health.

Even if Mascolo has to reduce his working schedule, I’m not sure of the reason behind killing off this long time character. They could have kept Andre as head of the Dimeras and just had Stefano on once in a while. Francis Reid stayed with the show in a reduced capacity for many years. Also- I am really not liking Crazy Hope- they are writing Alfonso into a corner. They are systematically destroying long time characters with desperate writing. More to the point, is Corday even involved with the show anymore? I wionder why he has never groomed any if his children to take over the reins just like his mom did with him so many years ago. I have LOVED Days for years and I am beginning to worry about the show’s future. Also- the show needs to hire a new casting director- stat. I am nonplussed that TPTB can not see that the new hires- Ciara, Claire, Theo, Aidan’s son whatshisname just cannot act. At all. Don’t these people watch the dailys?I really hope that someone else casts the new Abby, when the very talented Mansini departs the role.

As much as I used to hate the character, I always loved the actor. He was THE villain of all villians, but he loved his family without question. Although by loving them, he ran their lives! I will always miss him! I was shocked to find out that he is 85 years old. He certainly doesn’t look it. Love you, with much respect, sir!

I am still shocked that this is the end of Stefano. I have written before about rushed storylines and this is yet another example. Where was the buildup to Hope going temporaily insane? Stefano has been on the show for 30+ years and all he gets is one day to say a few things about Bo and Hope blows him away? I didn’t buy it.

I would have liked to have seen him die in the hospital and have Andre and Chad there. We could have seen a more human side of Andre. It could have shown Chad losing his father and realilizing once and for all that he did not want to be a DiMera. I would have also liked to have seen some flashbacks of Stefano thinking about all of his bad deeds, his great scenes with EJ, Tony, Anna, Megan, etc., and a final discussion with Marlena and Kate.

Too many missed opportunities.

Joe we will miss you,God Bless you and I hope you feel better.

I hoped to see something on social media about Joseph from James Scott. I loved watching the two of them on Days. James hasn’t been on twitter for a long time. I also hoped to see pictures of him at the Days 50th party, but he was absent.

Did he just get weird and run off or something? I heard he got married sometime in 2015. I’d love to see him back on Days (of course, alongside Ali Sweeney), as well as Johnny.