Fans are sad about the sudden death of GENERAL HOSPITAL actor Doug Sheehan, who was 75 years old.
On the famous soap opera, Doug played Joe Kelly.
He “passed away peacefully” in his home in Big Horn, Wyoming.
The Kane Funeral Home put the news of his death on its website.
The funeral home said that Doug died “with his loving wife [Cate Abert] by his side.”
The cause of death has not yet been made public, and no other information has been shared.
Fans of “LOVED HIM” took to social media to mourn the actor after the sad news spread a week later.
On July 8, someone wrote on X, “Very sad news.”
“Loved him as Joe.” Even though Ben and Val had some nice times together, I always wanted Gary and Val. Too many beloved soap vets are leaving us,” wrote someone else.
“I am sorry for the loss of Doug Sheehan and will pray for his family.” He played Joe Kelly on General Hospital from 1979 to 1982. It breaks my heart to hear this. A third said, “He will be missed.”
“Sorry to see that General Hospital and Knots Landing alum Doug Sheehan has passed,” a fourth note said. “I met him at a press event many years ago, and I recall him being just as amiable as his on-screen persona suggested he was.”
“Oh no, unfortunately, another great General Hospital actor has died.” Doug Sheehan is an entertaining, charming, and very skilled person. The part of Joe Kelly. In addition to Knot’s Landing, he did a lot of other work. An additional writer said, “May he rest in peace.”
Doug’s roles on General Hospital and Knots Landing were very popular. He was in more than 100 episodes of each show.
THIS IS LIFE MADE FOR TV
Doug’s career began when he was in an episode of Charlie’s Angels in 1978. He was born in Santa Monica, California, in 1949.
From then on, he played lawyer Joe Kelly on General Hospital all the time.
Regular might not be the right word for him because he was in 205 episodes from 1979 to 1982.
A Daytime Emmy nomination was made for him for this role as Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role in a Daytime Drama Series.
He went on to get many more TV roles, including one on CBS’s Dresden, a spinoff of Dallas.
From 1983 to 1988, he played reporter Ben Gibson. In Season 8, when his character went to South America, he left the show.
Doug talked about his TV fame and how hard it is to become famous on an episode of The Arsenio Hall Show in 1989.
“Everyone knows that casting directors, not producers, run Hollywood.” They don’t watch what you’re doing…Basically, I’ve spent the whole time breaking down walls with daytime, nighttime, and half-hour comedy. They don’t know if I’m ready for regular comedy shows yet, so I need to make a name for myself.
Doug’s career mostly took off on TV; he never quite made it to the big screen with a movie role.
Ten (1979), Victor/Victoria (1982), and Cops n’ Roberts (1995) were the three movies he was in.
He played Cher’s dad in the TV show Clueless, which was based on the famous movie of the same name, in the 1990s.
From 1988 to 1989, he played Gary David Goldberg on the NBC comedy Day by Day. He also had small roles on Cheers, Columbo, MacGyver, and Diagnosis Murder.
His last movies were What I Like About You and Sabrina the Teenage Witch, in which he played Sabrina’s (Melissa Joan Hart) dad.
For thirty-one years, Doug was married to Cate Abert. They never had any children together.
