What happened to Jerry Douglas? Tributes pour in as ‘The Young and the Restless’ star passes away at 88

TV actor Jerry Douglas reportedly passed away on Tuesday, 9 November 2021, at the age of 88. The Young and the Restless star died just a few days before his 89th birthday on November 12.

According to TMZ, the actor took his last breath after dealing with a “brief illness”. However, no immediate cause of death has been revealed by his family.

The Young and the Restless executive producer Anthony Morina released an official statement about the actor’s passing. Speaking to Deadline, the producer remembered the performer’s contribution and sent condolences to his family:

“On behalf of the entire company of The Young and the Restless, we send our deepest sympathies to the Douglas family on the passing of Jerry Douglas. Jerry came to Y&R in 1982 with an impressive resume of credits. Our show was lucky to have an actor of his caliber join the Y&R cast and introduce the audience to the iconic Abbott family. His contribution to the legacy of Y&R as Abbott family patriarch, John Abbott is still felt to this day. He will be sorely missed.”

The news of his demise comes less than a month after the veteran actor reunited with his The Young and the Restless co-stars to celebrate his birthday in advance.

Jerry Douglas leaves behind Kim Douglas, his wife of 36 years, as well as his three children, Jod, Hunter and Avra. He is also survived by his two grandchildren and nieces, Kirby and Solo Rubenstein.

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Twitter mourns the loss of Jerry Douglas

Jerry Douglas will be deeply missed by fans and colleagues (Image via Getty Images)

Jerry Douglas is best remembered for portraying the role of John Abbott on the popular soap opera The Young and the Restless for nearly 25 years. Although his character was killed off in 2006, the actor continued to make recurring guest appearances on the show as a ghost.

He is also known for working on other acclaimed TV shows like Mission: Impossible, The Incredible Hulk, Cold Case, Melrose Place, Arrested Development and The F.B.I, among many others. He even appeared in popular films such as JFK, Avalanche, The Godson, Mommie Dearest and Head Over Spurs in Love.

Following the news of his demise, several fans took to Twitter to pour in their heartfelt tributes to the actor:

As tributes continue to pour in online, it is certain that the actor will be dearly missed by his family, friends, fans and colleagues. However, his legacy will always be cherished by contemporaries and future generations alike.