Soap opera star John Reilly died on Saturday at the age of 86.- His daughter, Caitlin Reilly, announced his death in an Instagram post.
- Many other soap stars have taken to social media to pay tribute to Reilly.
- In addition to playing Sean Donnely for 11 years on "General Hospital," Reilly appeared in "Passions" and voiced Hawkeye/Clint Barton in the animated "Iron Man" series.
- He is survived by his wife, Liz, and three daughters.
Soap opera veteran John Reilly has died at the age of 86.
Reilly's death was announced by his daughter, Caitlin Reilly, in an Instagram post on Saturday night.
"John Henry Matthew Reilly AKA Jack. The brightest light in the world has gone out," Caitlin wrote.
"Imagine the best person in the world. Now imagine that person being your dad," she continued. "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."
Reilly was born in Chicago, Illinois, according to the Chicago Sun-Times, and emerged as a familiar figure in
The circumstances and details surrounding Reilly's death have not been publicly disclosed.
The soap opera industry is paying tribute to John Reilly on social media in the wake of his death
Former co-stars and others in the entertainment industry began sharing their condolences on Instagram and Twitter Saturday night.
Finola Hughes, a longtime soap actress who plays Anna Devane on "General Hospital," shared a message about Reilly to her Instagram account.
Hughes wrote, "Darling John Reilly. One of the first days I walked on the GH set this tall, handsome man in a leather jacket sauntered towards me. In his deep, all American growl he welcomed me to the show and told me he would be there for me should I ever need anything. Boy was he true to his word."
Hughes called Reilly a "consummate professional" with whom she would practice her lines each day and break down scenes on set.
"At the end of each scene John would do one of two things. He would either bellow his contagious laugh or he would get a quizzical expression on his face and ask 'Was that it? Did we get it?'" wrote Hughes.
"Brilliantly intuitive, yet he was always concerned with the outcome. John's sensitivity and kindness was most apparent with his family and friends. His love of his wife Liz and their gorgeous daughters was legion. I am so happy I got to experience and see that love firsthand. One of a kind. Fellow Irishman, Godspeed. Love you #JohnReilly rip," she added.
Kristen Wagner, who played Felicia Jones on "General Hospital," shared a throwback photo of her and Reilly in their characters' costumes.
"Sean Donnelly was Felicia's father figure. He and Frisco protected the princess. Rest in peace John Reilly. YOU were a treasure. Sending love to his family," wrote Wagner.
—Kristina Wagner (@KristinaWagnr) January 10, 2021
—Kin Shriner (@kinshriner) January 10, 2021
—Frank Valentini (@valentinifrank) January 10, 2021
Kin Shriner, who starred as Scott Baldwin on "General Hospital," wrote on Twitter that Reilly was "always the life of the party."
"The entire GH family mourns the passing of John Reilly," Frank Valentini, "General Hospital," executive producer, wrote.
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends," he added.
Reilly appeared in numerous TV roles over the span of his career
Reilly appeared on a number of well-known television shows, including "As the World Turns," "Gunsmoke," "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," and "Hawaii Five-O," according to IMDB.
After portraying Roy Ralston on "Dallas," Reilly was cast as Sean Donnelly on "General Hospital" and remained in the role for 11 years. He reprised his role as Donnelly in the long-running soap's spinoff show, "General Hospital: Night Shift."
Reilly's other notable roles included playing Bill Taylor, the father of Jennie Garth's character Kelly Taylor, on "Beverly Hills, 90210," and Alistair Crane on "Passions." He also voiced Hawkeye/Clint Barton in the Marvel animated series, "Iron Man," in the mid 1990s.