“Friend to treasure and an actress to applaud” — Days of Our Lives actress Susan Seaforth Hayes pays tribute to her late castmate Denise Alexander

Denise Alexander, an American actress known for portraying Susan Hunter on Days of Our Lives, died on March 5, 2025. Two months after the death of the daytime legend, her former castmate, Susan Seaforth Hayes, took to social media to pay tribute to the late actress.

Susan Hayes, who played the role of Julie Williams on Days of Our Lives, posted a picture on Instagram on May 11, 2025, remembering her co-star, Denise Alexander. Hayes spoke of Denise as a good friend and a great actress—

"Denise Alexander was a friend to treasure and an actress to applaud. She was well established on Days when I joined the cast as Julie #4 (a replacement for 3 previous actresses)."

According to the storyline of Days of Our Lives, the characters Susan Hunter and Julie Williams were close friends on the Peacock soap opera until the former began a relationship with the latter’s ex, David Martin. This love triangle led to Julie pairing with Doug Williams, played by Susan Seaforth Hayes’s future husband, Bill Hayes.

In Susan Hayes's Instagram post, she talked about how Denise Alexander witnessed her falling in love with Billy.

"She watched Billy and I fall madly in love and, being a romantic lady herself, cheered us on."

Hayes also recalled the times spent with Alexander during their tenure on the daytime drama. She discussed how both began their careers in the entertainment industry as child actors.

"Such happy memories of her years in Salem and her great success on General Hospital. We both began as child actors, both had strong mothers and both were raised as Christian Scientists in our early years."

Later, Hayes paid tribute to her friend, the late actress Denise Alexander.

"I was grateful for her wisdom, taste, humor, and goodness every time I saw her. It was never enough. And my love for her will never be over."

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Major storylines of Susan Hunter and Julie Williams on Days of Our Lives

According to the storyline of Days of Our Lives, Susan Hunter was the closest friend of Julie Williams on the show. She married David Martin after realizing she was pregnant with his child. They had initially decided to give the baby up for adoption, but Susan changed her mind when the baby was born.

As the show progressed, Susan and David's marriage fell apart, and David started seeing Julie. In 1971, Susan decided to open a clinic with her late husband's inheritance and began working at the David Martin Clinic. There, she met Dr. Greg Peters and started developing feelings for him, leading to their marriage. In 1973, Greg Peters and Susan Hunter Martin wed.

However, their marriage began to dissolve in 1974. When Greg left his job at the clinic to join Dr. Neil Curtis's practice, their relationship became strained. By 1976, Susan and Greg divorced. Later, Susan moved to California with Greg's brother, Eric, and their daughter, Annie.

As per the plot dynamics of Days of Our Lives, Julie Williams was born on March 31, 1949, to Addie Horton and Ben Olson. Julie was introduced as a rebellious teenager in the Horton family. As the show progressed, Julie moved in with her grandparents, Tom Horton and Alice Horton, when her parents decided to relocate to Europe. She initially planned to run away with David Martin, but backed out after discussing it with Tom.

Later, Julie pursued David while he was married to her best friend, Susan, hoping that he would eventually leave Susan and marry her. In December 1970, Julie met Doug Williams, who was being paid by Susan Hunter to have an affair with her. In a shocking twist, Julie and Doug fell in love.

One major aspect of Julie's character was when her husband, Scott, was killed in a construction accident while working for Anderson Manufacturing. Subsequently, Phyllis and Bob Anderson offered Julie a house and some financial support. As their relationship dynamics became more complicated, Bob divorced Phyllis and married Julie. However, in 1976, Julie divorced Bob Anderson and reunited with Doug, leading to their engagement.

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More about Denise Alexander as her former castmate pays tribute to the late actress

Denise Alexander was born on November 11, 1939, in New York City. She passed away on March 5, 2025. Daytime fans recognized her for her role as Lesley Webber on General Hospital. She played the character under contract from 1973 to 1984, again from 1996 to 2009, and then made a guest appearance in 2013 in honor of the show's 50th anniversary.

Beyond her role as Susan Hunter Martin on Days of Our Lives, Denise appeared in multiple films and television shows, enhancing her acting portfolio. Fans could catch a glimpse of the actress in popular productions such as Dimension X, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Combat!, Sunset Beach, and The Inn.

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Fans of Days of Our Lives can watch new episodes of the show on Peacock.