John Reilly, 'General Hospital' alum, 'Soap Opera' star, dies at 84
Jan 11, 2021
Washington [US], January 11 : Veteran actor John Reilly, who was best known for his roles in 'General Hospital' and 'Beverly Hills', '90210', has died. He was 84.
According to People Magazine, Reilly's daughter, social media star Caitlin Reilly, announced the news of her father's death on Instagram Sunday. A cause of death was not disclosed.
In the post, Caitlin wrote alongside a throwback photo of the father-daughter pair, "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," Caitlin added.
As reported by People Magazine, Reilly who was born in Chicago, got his start in television acting in the 1960s with guest-starring roles on 'Death Valley Days', 'Apple's Way' and 'Gunsmoke'. In 1984, he starred in six episodes of 'Dallas' as Roy Ralston.
As per People Magazine, after 'Dallas', Reilly was cast as WSB agent Sean Donely in 'General Hospital'. He played the role for 11 years, departing the show in 1994 after he opted not to renew his contract. His character was written out of the show the following year when he and his onscreen wife Tiffany Hill (Sharon Wyatt) moved out of town.
As reported by People Magazine, Reilly went on to appear in several episodes of 'Beverly Hills', '90210' as Bill Taylor, the often-absentee father of Kelly Taylor (Jennie Garth). He also had recurring roles as Del Douglas on 'Sunset Boulevard' from 1997 to 1999 and as Alistair Crane on 'Passions' from 2005 to 2008.
In 2008, Reilly reprised his 'General Hospital' role for the season 2 finale of the show's spinoff, General Hospital: Night Shift. He again played Sean for the original soap's 50th anniversary year in 2013.
